My Book Chatter's Favourite Reads of 2013

So 2013 has come to an end, and although I didn't quite meet my reading goal of 100 books this year, I did find some new favourites!

Below, and in no particular order, you'll find my 10 favourite reads for the year that was 2013. I've included the links to my review and the goodreads page for each book, should you want to check them out.

So, I hope you all have a happy and safe New Year, and here's to finding some amazing reads in 2014!!

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Book Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Title: Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2)
Author: Katie McGarry
Release Date: May 28th 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all...

My Thoughts

Katie McGarry really knows how to get that teenage voice spot on.
Both Ryan and Beth are really great characters, each with a healthy dose of angst and parental disillusion; both a little battered and bruised and carrying around their fair share of secrets.

The love between Ryan and Beth is so tender and sweet it’s impossible not to get all gooey over it. But they have their fair share of ups and downs too, and battle their way through some tough situations; but when it’s all said and done, they need each other.

Dare You To is full of great writing that engages your heart and a story that completely enraptures you, making it hard to put down; hard to stop reading.

Did I feel a little sorry for Isaiah, absolutely; but his story is yet to come and I know the wait will be worth it, I just hope the girl is to!

This author has once again broken my heart with her emotional portrayal of first love and yes, I cried a tear or two!
Heartfelt teenage love at its best 5 stars ~<;]

The Best and Worst of 2012 as Read By Me!!

So I guess most, if not all book bloggers are doing some kind of Top Ten or Best Reads list to finish of 2012, and so I decided to throw my hat in the ring also!
It sounds fairly easy I know, however it has taken me an absolute age to wade through my pile of books to find the true standouts; here are some of the books I have loved in 2012...

A fellow Kiwi, I first heard about Melissa Pearl via an online newspaper article in March. I bought Golden Blood for my kindle, and fell in love! The characters, the plot, the writing - I was completely blown away, and quickly read book 2 in the series (Black Blood) and desperately waited for book 3 (Pure Blood) to be released.
I have also read Forbidden Territory which Melissa co-authored with Brenda Howson, and Melissa's most recent release, Betwixt
I am now eagerly awaiting her latest trilogy, with book #1 Unknown, tentatively scheduled for a June 2013 release.

I discovered T.G. Ayer (also due to the internet article mentioned above), and what a discovery she has been!
I read, and fell in love with Dead Radiance. Its beautifully written story of Norse mythology threaded into an intricately woven teenage tale of loss and hardship, mystery and intrigue, first love, deceit, self discovery and more. Just as wonderfully written was Dead Embers, the second in the series and I am impatiently waiting for book #3 Dead Chaos which is scheduled for a March 2013 release.
T.G. Ayer also has a new series (The Hunter trilogy), with book #1 Skin Deep, scheduled to release in February 2013, which I can't wait to read too!

Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry completely took me by surprise.
This was a story I expected to like, but I very quickly found myself enraptured by Echo and Noah's story. I loved this book, and I can't wait for the follow up book Dare You To which is set to release in May 2013.

Vengeance Born had been on my list of books to get from the first moment I saw the cover! Australian author, Kylie Griffin did not disappoint with her beautiful and creative world building, bringing this story and her characters to life, etching a place in my heart. The second book in this series Alliance Forged just confirmed for me what a talented writer Kylie Griffin is, and her books are on my keeper shelf.
I have pre-ordered the third book in this series, Allegiance Sworn and I really can't wait for its release in April 2013.

Zombies are not my thing, but Flesh came highly recommended by a friend so I thought why not. Why not indeed! - not only was this a great zombie story full of snappy writing and addictive characters, but it was a really great erotic read too!
A convert to the zombie theme, I look forward to more books from Kylie Scott, especially book #2 in this series Skin, which is set to release in February 1st 2013.

I loved the amazing world that Merrie Destefano created for Fathom
This beautifully crafted story with a watery twist and shrouded in Celtic myth was addictive. For her first foray in the YA genre, Merrie Destefano has definitely made her mark, I cant wait to see what she has to come in 2013.

A beautiful and sweetly engaging story, Ransomwood by Sherryl Jordan will melt your heart. Simply put, this book was an absolute pleasure to read.

Every Day by David Levithan is the quintessential love story.
Although it didn't get a perfect 5 star review from me, it was a book I could happily read again...and again. I loved the voice with which this story is told and will definitely add the authors back catalogue to my to read list.

I love a good historical romance, and IMO Anna Campbell writes some of the best.
Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed left me thoroughly enchanted with its dark and gothic retelling of a beauty and the beast themed love story. Another author on my keeper shelf, I can't wait for the next installment of Anna Campbell's Sons of Sin series.

Book #2 in the Witch Song series, Witch Born definitely has all the right things going for it and I eagerly await future stories from Amber Argyle as she has put me under her spell with the truly beautiful and lyrical way in which she writes. 







The following have not necessarily been bad books, but they have been books I did not enjoy; for whatever reason, they just didn't do it for me :(


Seven Day Loan was a couple of wasted hours of my life that I'll never get back!
Entirely too shallow for me :(

This story lacked character depth and a good editor; and through frustration and angst I gave up after reading less than a quarter :(









Did nothing for me, and (in my opinion) it was pretty crap!

I was bored beyond reason and gave up after 145 pages of Redemption :(

I hated the contrived characters and the authors overuse of a thesaurus. This Ember just fizzled :(










So that's it...
The Best and Worst of 2012 as read by me...
I know there will be people out there that completely disagree, and that's fine - I'll respect your opinion if you respect mine!!
(thats code for don't bother messaging me to rant about how wrong I am!!!)

Book Review: Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

Title: Pushing The Limits
Author: Katie McGarry
Release Date: July 24th 2012
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: HarlequinTEEN
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

SO WRONG FOR EACH OTHER...AND YET SO RIGHT.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.

But when Noah Hutchins, the smokinghot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

My Thoughts

I read Pushing The Limits and not one simple unrelated thought entered my head. I didn't stop to take notes or critique anything, and the few breaks I did have involved me thinking of ways to get back to reading this truly wonderful and engrossing book.
 
This really has been one of those books that has enraptured me - to the point that I wasn't sure I'd want to leave the sweet embrace of its pages, to walk away from such a beautiful and often harrowing story of self discovery and first true love. *cue gooey sighs and puppy dog eyes!*
 

Full of complex and emotional story arcs, Pushing The Limits will leave a scar on your soul, it really is that good. 
The writing is flawless, smooth, almost lyrical in its pace and flow, and I was enraptured from the start, and hours after finishing - I still am.

I have nothing but gloriously gushy things to say about this truly wondrous reading experience. 
5 Stars ~<:]

*note* The sneak peak of Beth's story was torture. Torture, because I have to wait to read it!!

About the author:

Debut author KATIE McGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.