Book Review : Love and Other Sins

 

Genre : Fiction, Romance, Young Adult

RATINGS :-
Plot : 4.5/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 3.5/5
OVERALL RATING : 4/5

 

Mina’s life is going according to plan; she’s acing AP Calc and is perfectly content with her nonexistent social life. Though only a high school junior, Mina knows time is an investment, and she’s putting all her capital into academics. Oliver, a child abuse survivor who grew up in the foster care system, is ready to burn down his old life and start from scratch—complete with a new name and emancipation papers—in L.A. When the two are thrown together through circumstance and develop an unexpected connection, they discover how hard it is to keep the past in the past.

Monthly Wrap Up : September

Hey everyone! So, I am back with a wrap up segment in this post for the month of September! It has been a very long time since I did one of these however, the month of September was one of the best reading months this year. Hence, I am happily sharing what all books I devoured the last month! So, without further ado let’s get started!

Book Review + Giveaway : Bridge Across the Ocean by Jack B. Rochester

Genre : Fiction, Suspense, Sports, Romance

Date of Release: September 14th, 2021

RATINGS :-
Plot : 4.5/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 3.5/5
OVERALL RATING : 4/5

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

AN ACTION-PACKED, ADVENTUROUS MYSTERY WITH IP ESPIONAGE, TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, LOVE

Jedediah Smith, Luke Lin, David Bondsman and Rick Saundersson have created the most innovative bicycle drive in history: The Spinner, a technologically advanced device that produces and stores its own energy without using batteries. It’s 2011, and it’s ideally positioned for the just-emerging city bike market, and the world’s largest bicycle maker located in Taiwan is interested.

Just before they are to leave for Taipei to discuss a licensing agreement with Joyful Bike, While cycling, Luke is struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver. Although heartbroken, the three friends decide to continue with their business travels, taking Luke’s fiancee Suzie Sun with them.

At Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, the group encounters two Japanese agents of business espionage who don’t know what they have, but nevertheless want to steal it. The “information worms” pursue the cyclists to Taipei, where the stakes grow even higher and a battle of espionage ensues.

The guys begin negotiations with Joyful’s director of business development, Jung-Shan Lai. She takes them cycling on Joyful bikes through Taiwan’s breathtaking scenery as they continue to thwart the attacks of the information worms. Jed promptly falls in love with Jung-Shan, and she with him.

Will the team be able to secure and finalize their business deal with Joyful Bike? Will the agents of business espionage ride away with the stolen bicycle drive intelligence? Will the three friends get justice for Luke’s tragic death? Will Jung-Shan and Jed work out their cross-cultural love affair?

INTERVIEW: Jack B. Rochester author of Bridge Across the Ocean

About the Author:

Jack B. Rochester has worked in publishing for five decades. He was a business and technology journalist and author for 30 years, pounding out 500+ articles and 16 books, two of which were bestsellers: The Naked Computer and Pirates of the Digital Millennium, both co-authored with John Gantz. He is author of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Flowers literary trilogy. His most recent novel is Bridge Across the Ocean, a contemporary thriller, much of which is set in Taiwan. Rochester has a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature from California State University, Sonoma. He co-founded (with Caitlin M. Park) The Fictional Cafe, an online creative arts ‘zine, in 2013. His website is JackBoston.com. An avid recreational cyclist, he owns five bikes. He was raised in South Dakota and Wyoming, spent many years in California, and today lives with his wife in Lexington, Massachusetts. No moss grows beneath his feet.

Blog Tour: It All Comes Back to You by Farah Naz Rishi

Today, I am delighted to host the Blog Tour organized by TBR and Beyond Tours for It All Comes Back to You!

After Kiran Noorani’s mom died, Kiran vowed to keep her dad and sister, Amira, close. Then out of the blue, Amira announces that she’s dating someone and might move cross-country with him. Kiran is thrown.

Deen Malik is thrilled that his older brother, Faisal, has found a great girlfriend, even if it’s getting serious quickly. Maybe now their parents’ focus will shift off Deen, who feels intense pressure to be the perfect son.

When Deen and Kiran come fact to face, they silently agree to keep their past a secret. Four years ago–before Amira and Faisal met–Kiran and Deen dated. But Deen ghosted Kiran with no explanation. Kiran will stop at nothing to find out what happened, and Deen will do anything, even if it means sabotaging his brother’s relationship, to keep her from reaching the truth. Though the chemistry between Kiran and Deen is undeniable, can either of them take down their walls? 

Book Review: Shine (#1) by Jessica Jung

Genre : Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult, Asian Literature

Date of Release: September 29th, 2020

Publishing House:  Simon and Schuster 

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

“But fear can’t feed your dreams. It can only feed more fear.”

RATINGS :-
Plot : 3.5/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 3.5/5
OVERALL RATING : 3.5/5

A Korean American teen is thrust into the competitive, technicolor world of K-pop, from Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of Girls Generation.

 

What would you give for a chance to live your dreams?

For seventeen-year-old Korean American Rachel Kim, the answer is almost everything. Six years ago, she was recruited by DB Entertainment—one of Seoul’s largest K-pop labels, known for churning out some of the world’s most popular stars. The rules are simple: Train 24/7. Be perfect. Don’t date. Easy right?

 

Not so much. As the dark scandals of an industry bent on controlling and commodifying beautiful girls begin to bubble up, Rachel wonders if she’s strong enough to be a winner, or if she’ll end up crushed… Especially when she begins to develop feelings for K-pop star and DB golden boy Jason Lee. It’s not just that he’s charming, sexy, and ridiculously talented. He’s also the first person who really understands how badly she wants her star to rise. 

ARC Review: Fish Heads and Duck Skin by Lindsey Salatka

 

Genre : Fiction, Memoir, Literary Fiction

Date of Release: July 20th, 2021

Publishing House: Smith Publishing House

 

“Even this—questioning your life and your choices—this is incredibly brave.”

RATINGS :-
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4.5/5
OVERALL RATING : 4.5/5

 

On the advice of a five-dollar psychic, Tina Martin, a zany, overworked mother of two, quits her high-powered job and moves her family to Shanghai. Tina yearns for this new setting to bring her the zen-like inner peace she’s always heard about on infomercials. Instead, she becomes a totally exasperated fish out of water, doing wacky things like stealing the shoes of a shifty delivery man, spraying local women with a bidet hose, and contemplating the murder of her new pet cricket.

It takes the friendship of an elderly tai chi instructor, a hot Mandarin tutor, and several mah-jongg-tile-slinging expats to bring Tina closer to a culture she doesn’t understand, the dream job she never knew existed, and the self she has always sought. Fish Heads and Duck Skin will resonate with anyone who has ever wondered who they are, why they were put here, and how they ever lived before eating pan-fried pork buns.

Blog Tour: The Crimson Countess

Today I’m excited to participate in the Creative Blog Tour for The Crimson Countess by Brynn Myers hosted by MTMC Tours!

When a god and a vampire queen desire you, things can get complicated.

Nola Blair is a free-spirited artist who’s been offered a hefty sum to create a unique piece for a party at Elizabeth Bathory’s ruined castle. It’s an assignment she declined––twice. However, at the behest of her sister and her best friend, she finally gave in, choosing her career over her annoyance with the misogynist ass trying to secure her services.

Erzsebet Bathory has been trapped for centuries and would do anything to escape, including using her own son, Paul, to do her bidding. Soon she’ll be free and take her place among the ferals as their queen.

Andrik Kane had no idea his life would change when he saved Nola from a band of rogue vampires. Charged with the hunting of ferals and their creators, one broken rule and the blood of a beautiful brunette in distress ends up giving him more than he ever bargained for.

One wants her blood, the other wants her to be his. Who will decide Nola’s fate?

ARC Review: Fade Into the Bright by Jessica Koosed Etting and Alyssa Schwartz

Genre : Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Date of Release: April 27th, 2021

Publishing House:  Penguin Random House

 

“Everyone has a story. Deep down most people just want someone to listen to them talk about it.”

 

RATINGS :-
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4.5/5
OVERALL RATING : 4.5/5

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Five Feet Apart meets Tell Me Three Things in this YA contemporary novel about two sisters, one summer, and a diagnosis that changes everything.

Abby needs to escape a life that she no longer recognizes as her own. Her old life–the one where she was a high school volleyball star with a textbook-perfect future–has been ripped away. Abby and her sister, Brooke, have received a letter from their estranged dad informing them he has Huntington’s disease, a fatal, degenerative disorder that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. And when the sisters agree to genetic testing, one of them tests positive.

Fleeing to Catalina Island for the summer, Abby is relieved to be in a place where no one knows her tragic history. But when she meets aspiring documentary filmmaker Ben–tall, outdoorsy, easygoing, with eyes that don’t miss a thing–she’s thrown off her game. Ben’s the kind of guy who loves to figure out people’s stories. What if he learns hers?

Blog Tour: Sunkissed by Kasie West

Today, I am delighted to host the Blog Tour organized by TBR and Beyond Tours for Sunkissed!

A lighthearted and swoony contemporary YA romance by fan-favorite author Kasie West about a girl who finds that a summer spent at a family resort isn’t as bad as she imagined…and that falling in love is filled with heartache, laughter, and surprises!

After being betrayed by her best friend, Avery is hoping for a picture-perfect summer. Too bad her parents have dragged her and her sister to a remote family camp for the entire summer. And that’s not even the worst part. Avery also has to deal with no internet, a cute but off-limits staff member, and an always-in-her-face sister.

But what starts as a disaster turns into a whirlwind summer romance as Avery embarks on an unexpected journey to figure out what she truly wants and who she wants to be.