2017 Netgalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge

I have to admit that when it comes to reading challenges I pretty much suck at doing them but I am hoping that things will change this year. One step at a time right? One challenge at a time!

I have been on NetGalley since 2009 and Edelweiss for a few years reading and reviewing books. Its such a great resource for bloggers to get access to new and upcoming books. I do have to say that getting accepted for books has been hit or miss on both sites for me. I have discovered though that over the years the higher your feedback ratio score is the better chance you have in getting accepted.

I am sure you are like me and have  logged on to NetGalley and perhaps Edelweiss with the intention of “Just Looking” and then the next thing is you have requested a few books even though your TBR is a mile long? This has happened to me many times and I thought this year I really need to get a handle on that and keep track of the books I have requested and read.

So I am going to take part in the NetGalley and Edelweiss 2017 Reading Challenge that is being hosted by Bookish Things and More. You can click on that link to take you directly to the reading challenge to find out more and how to join.

I am committing to read 50 (Gold)  NetGalley/Edelweiss books this year.

What about you?

Book Spotlight/ CRAVE The Atria Indie Author Sampler

Book Spotlight/ CRAVE The Atria Indie Author SamplerCRAVE The Atria Indie Author Sampler Format: eBook
on April 28th, 2015

Description

Turn up the heat with this free e-sampler featuring seven irresistibly sexy and utterly enticing selections by some of the biggest names in contemporary romance and new adult fiction. Lose yourself in these stories and spread the love by sharing with your friends.Here’s a taste of:After the Rain by Renée Carlino
When You’re Back by Abbi Glines
Where Sea Meets Sky by Karina Halle
Confess by Colleen Hoover
Amber to Ashes by Gail McHugh
Black Iris Leah Raeder
Chasing River by K.A. Tucker

Find out more about your favorite authors at
Facebook.com/AtriaIndieAuthors
Twitter.com/AtriaBooks

I am a huge fan of reading these samplers because its a great way to discover a new book or perhaps a book you heard about that you would like to read. I was recently on Netgally I spotted this sampler so I quickly went ahead and downloaded it. I am always on the hunt for a new book to read and these are perfect.

In this sampler there is seven samplers to read which makes this for a pretty quick read. The samplers that are:

aftertherainFrom the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a deeply emotional contemporary romance about the second chances waiting beyond the shattered dreams of youth.

When eighteen-year-old Avelina Belo meets a charismatic cowboy the summer before her senior year of high school, she doesn’t know that accepting his invitation to dinner will lead to a whirlwind marriage three months later and an exciting new life on a Montana ranch. She also doesn’t know that, in a few short years, fate will send everything crashing down around her.

A thousand miles away and fresh out of medical school, Nate Meyers is poised to become UCLA’s next superstar heart surgeon. His laser focus is the key to his success, but it’s also his greatest liability. When a routine surgery ends in disaster, derailing his career, he’s confronted with the hard truth: there’s no one waiting for him at home, no one to help him pick up the pieces.

Regrouping on his uncle’s Montana ranch, Nate meets Avelina, a beautiful but mysterious young woman who keeps to herself and barely speaks a word. As he discovers the details of her devastating past, Avelina teaches him more about matters of the heart than he ever knew before. But can they trust each other enough to put everything on the line?


This is book 12 in the series. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines comes the next new adult novel in her beloved Rosemary Beach series, which continues the story of Mase and Reese from When I’m Gone.

She was where my home would always be. It was time I took the next step and proved to her I was all in. Forever.

A chance meeting in Rosemary Beach has turned into a fairy-tale romance as Reese prepares to move in with Mase on his family ranch in Texas. With the loving support of the Colts, and her recent discovery that she has family of her own, Reese can finally move on from the dark horrors of her past and into a bright future.

But Aida isn’t going to let that happen. The beautiful blonde has been raised to think of Mase as her cousin, but it’s clear to Reese that Aida doesn’t love Mase like a cousin should.

And then there’s Captain, the inescapable stranger who has connections in Dallas and Rosemary Beach—and who conveniently shows up wherever Reese happens to be. Hot, mysterious, and plain-speaking, Captain isn’t afraid to tell Reese what he thinks about Mase—and how he feels about her.

As the competition for Mase and Reese’s hearts heats up, Reese’s past begins to unravel, illuminating shocking truths that will forever change the lives of the happy couple—and set the final stories of Rosemary Beach in motion.

I think this is one book I really want to read since it takes place in Vancouver, Canada and she is a Canadian author.

A new adult novel that perfectly captures the existential angst of your early twenties with raw wit, fresh insight, and true feeling from a critically adored USA TODAY bestselling author.

Joshua Miles has spent his early twenties spinning his wheels. Working dead-end jobs and living at home has left him exhausted and uninspired, with little energy to pursue his passion for graphic art. Until he meets Gemma Henare, a vivacious out-of-towner from New Zealand. What begins as a one-night stand soon becomes a turning point for Josh. He can’t get Gemma out of his head, even after she has left for home, and finds himself throwing caution to the wind for the first time in his life.

It’s not long before Josh is headed to New Zealand with only a backpack, some cash, and Gemma’s name to go on. But when he finally tracks her down, he finds his adventure is only just beginning. Equally infatuated, Gemma leads him on a whirlwind tour across the beautiful country, opening Josh up to life, lust, love, and all the messy heartache in between. Because, when love drags you somewhere, it might never let go—even when you know you have to say goodbye.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a new novel about risking everything for love—and finding your heart somewhere between the truth and lies.

At age twenty-one, Auburn Reed has already lost everything important to her. In her fight to rebuild her shattered life, she has her goals in sight and there is no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is keeping a major secret from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

To save their relationship, all Owen needs to do is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Collide and Pulse comes a gritty new novel about a shattered young woman who unexpectedly falls for two best friends.

They were a storm I never saw coming, an unforeseen heartbreak on the edge of a dangerous cliff.

Amber Moretti’s life changes in the span of minutes. An orphaned outsider, she is desperate to start fresh the moment she walks onto campus. In the time it takes to cross the university’s dining hall, she meets two men who bring color, air, and light to her darkened world.

They became my addiction, each a needle to my next hit, my high.

Brock Cunningham’s appeal is dizzying, a potent force Amber can’t deny. A green-eyed smooth talker, he instantly attracts Amber. It doesn’t take long for him to consume her every thought, her every breath.

Ryder Ashcroft, a blue-eyed, tattooed, and pierced bad boy, turns Amber off immediately—that is, until he kisses her, stealing a piece of her heart, her soul.

They were as opposite as fire and ice, yet I ached for them equally.

Never knowing she could be broken down in so many unexpectedly beautiful yet petrifying ways, Amber finds herself falling for both men.

Immoral? Maybe. I say undeniable. Uncontained.

But one devastating event changes everything, shattering each of their lives…and Amber isn’t sure she can recover from it.
The next dark and sexy romantic suspense novel from the USA TODAY bestselling author ofUnteachable, which was praised for its “lush, haunting prose, deft storytelling, and scorching sensuality” (M. Pierce, bestselling author of the Night Owl trilogy), and called “one of the best forbidden romances” (Lauren Blakely, New York Times bestselling author).

“Love is not a thing that we create. It’s an undoing.”

It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating’s world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn’t worth sticking around for.

If Laney could erase that whole year, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate.

She’s not looking for new friends, but they find her: charming, handsome Armin, the only guy patient enough to work through her thorny defenses—and fiery, filterless Blythe, the bad girl and partner in crime who has thorns of her own.

But Laney knows nothing good ever lasts. When a ghost from her past resurfaces—the bully who broke her down completely—she decides it’s time to live up to her own legend. And Armin and Blythe are going to help.

Which was the plan all along.

Because the rumors are true. Every single one. And Laney is going to show them just how true.

She’s going to show them all.

Another book I am excited to read and she is a Canadian author to.

A suspense-driven New Adult romance novel from the USA TODAY bestselling author of Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water.

Luke Boone doesn’t know exactly what his uncle Rust is involved in but he wants in on it—the cars, the money, the women. And it looks like he’s finally getting his wish. When Rust hands him the managerial keys to the garage, they come with a second set—one that opens up the door to tons of cash and opportunity. Though it’s not exactly legal, Luke’s never been one to worry about that sort of thing. Especially when it puts him behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 and onto the radar of gorgeous socialite named Rain.

Clara Bertelli is at the top of her game—at only twenty-six years old, she’s one of the most successful undercover officers in the Washington, DC, major crime unit, and she’s just been handed a case that could catapult her career and expose one of the West coast’s most notorious car theft rings. But, in order to do it, she’ll need to go deep undercover as Rain Martines. Her target? The twenty-four-year-old nephew of a key player who appears ready to follow in his uncle’s footsteps.

As Clara drifts deeper into the luxurious lifestyle of Rain, and further into the arms of her very attractive and charming target, the lines between right and wrong start to blur, making her wonder if she’ll be able to leave it all behind. Or if she’ll even want to.

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I should let you know that all these books are available to purchase in your local bookstore.

All these books sound so good that I have added them all to my wishlist of books.

Does any of these books interest you? Have you read any of these books?

I know I will be on the look out for these books. I know Becoming Rain and Where Sea Meets Sky is definitely on my radar because I love books that are set in Canada and I love supporting Canadian authors.

These books are definitely my kind of books that I would read.

Thanks Atria for putting together this sampler of titles. I wish more publishers would do this kind of thing although that could be a bad thing for a complusive book buyer like myself.

Do you like samplers?

Review/ The Algonquin Reader

Review/ The Algonquin ReaderThe Algonquin Reader Format: eARC
on February 11th, 2015

Description

Get an inside look at Algonquin’s outstanding forthcoming fiction with the Spring 2015 Algonquin Reader. Discover the inspiration behind each book through an original essay by the author. Then enjoy a free preview of each novel.

The Miracle Girl by Andrew Roe
On Sale April 21, 2015

“To believe or not to believe--that is the question facing all who are touched by the comatose ‘miracle girl’ at the swirling center of Roe’s dazzling debut. But more than an exploration of the mysteries of faith, it’s also the unforgettable story of one family’s struggle against tragedy. The result is an uplifting miracle of a book.” —Will Allison, author of Long Drive Home

The Daylight Marriage by Heidi Pitlor
On Sale May 5, 2015

“Hypnotically readable--I absolutely couldn’t put it down. The structure is brilliant, and I turned the pages with increasing dread. This book is terrific.” —Stephen King

Orhan’s Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian
On Sale April 7, 2015

“Aline Ohanesian draws from her family’s own dark history to create a tender, powerful story of love and reclamation. A breathtaking and expansive work of historical fiction and proof that the past can sometimes rewrite the future.” —Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train

The Wisdom of Perversity by Rafael Yglesias
On Sale March 24, 2015

“The sly courage, the deft intelligence, and the fierceness of vision that we, his fans, have come to expect from a Raphael Yglesias novel all blaze brightly forth—and cast very dark shadows—in The Wisdom of Perversity.” —Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist

Dinner with Buddha by Roland Merullo
On Sale June 2, 2015

Algonquin’s long-awaited follow-up to the bestselling Breakfast with Buddha finds Otto Ringling and Mongolian monk Volya Rinpoche on another unexpected road trip of discovery.

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

As I was sitting down to write my review I released that this is volume 4, how could I have possibly missed the previous editions?

I love it when book publishers put out these kinds of books because you get to read sneak peeks of upcoming books and what publishers are most excited about.

Algonquin has show cased five of their upcoming titles with release dates from March to June. If this is any indication of what books are coming out this spring we are all in for a treat.

I read all the little snippets and I have to say that I am really curious about The Miracle Girl by Andrew Roe and The Daylight Marriage by Heidi Pitlor.

The Miracle Girl by Andrew Roe is his debut novel. The book is told in many points of view such as the main character Annabelle, her mother, her estranged father and by the people who came to Annabelle seeking her help, guidance and healing.

Annabelle is an eight year old little girl who lies in a comalike state. She is unable to speak or move but there is something special about this little girl. There is more to this beautiful little girl that you want to read and discover.

Things change for Annabelle and her family when someone comes to visit and they walk away knowing that their live has changed. They quickly spread the word about this and before long people are flocking to her beside.

I can’t wait to read this because I am one of those people who believes in miracles.

This comes out April 21st and it will be in hardcover.

The second book that peaked my interest was The Daylight Marriage. I really liked this one because its complete opposites that were attracted to each other and over the course of their marriage things begin to change.

Hannah is a beautiful woman who could have any man she wanted and I mean anyone but she picked Lovell who is her complete opposite. I have to admit I was wondering at first at how would this work because she is sort of like the life of a party and he is very much the quiet guy you would see hiding in the corner somewhere out of the spotlight.

After first everything is hunky doory because its the newly wedded stage where everything is smelling like roses. Over the course of the years things begin to settle and the rose colored glasses come off and both are beginning to resent the other.

I think this will be an excellent read as its peaked my curiousity. The book comes out May 5th in hardcover.