Title: Anew (The Archers of Avalon, #1)
Author: Chelsea Fine
Publisher: Acacia Publishing, 385 Pages (December 7th, 2011)
From: the Publisher
Format: Paperback
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis: Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in the forest alone, afraid, and unable to remember anything. Lost and confused, her life was a mystery...until she met a boy with a familiar voice.

Gabriel Archer has a voice from her past, and Scarlet's determined to remember why. She immerses herself in his life only to discover he has a brother he's kept hidden from her: Tristan Archer.

Upon meeting Tristan, Scarlet's world becomes even more muddled. While she's instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she's impossibly drawn to Tristan--and confused out of her mind. As she tries to piece together her history Scarlet realizes her past...might just be the death of her.

Review: 4 Stars - Anew, the first book in The Archers of Avalon series from author Chelsea Fine is a mysteriously brilliant start to a stunning new series.

When Scarlet our main female lead wakes up alone in the woods, she doesn’t remember anything from her past. Her past is one huge frustrating mystery to the teen girl who’d love nothing more than to know who she is and where she’s come from and why she’s alone in the middle of the woods. She has a best friend who’s supportive and bubbly, helping to keep Scarlet from being down along with her adoptive mother, who is also someone Scarlet can lean on. Having support is great, but she wants nothing more than to know her past.

Scarlet is a pretty normal teen girl. I liked that she wasn’t perfect, wasn’t over the top and was pretty grounded for not knowing anything of the past that eludes her. She cares for her best friend and adoptive mother greatly, which is another thing that I loved about this character. Scarlet has a lot going on as it and her life is about to undertake a HUGE change when the new guy in town enters the picture.

There’s something about Gabriel Archer that Scarlet feels she knows from her past. The mysterious guy is kind and more than sweet. He’s one of those guys every girl can swoon over, and they do. One of the mysteries surrounding this guy is that he has a twin brother, Tristan. The two brothers have a huge connection to Scarlet that plays out over the course of the book, so don’t worry – so spoilers here!

I didn’t know what the mystery surrounding Scarlet’s past was, nor did I even guess the ties these two had or… well anything! I love when a book holds something back from the reader and doesn’t just give away hints or clues to make allow the reader a chance to make guess to what might be looming right around the corner for the characters.

Anew is a mysterious book with a huge history. It has its fair share of action packed moments, answers to many questions, yet will leave you asking more. And talk about a massive “What the heck!” ending? Serious Chelsea, what are you doing to us and your characters?? That was brutal!!!

All in all, I was excited to read Anew. I Was more than thrilled with the characters and the mysteriousness of the story and history of, well, things. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll just say this. Read the book for something different and exciting. Something that’ll leave you begging for more, that’ll have you unraveling all the clues of Scarlet’s past right along with her.

Do I recommend this title? I do! Chelsea has a knack for telling a great story and the writing and characters to make this a new favorite series to any readers’ book shelves. Enjoy!

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.

Title: Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Publisher: Scourcebooks, 281 Pages (December 1st, 2011)
From: Gift from a friend
Format: Paperback
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis: What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starting position... suddenly she's hoping he'll see her as more than just a teammate.

Review: 4 Stars - Catching Jordan by Author Miranda Kenneally is a more than memorable young adult contemporary title that people who aren’t huge sports fans will absolutely fall in love with.

Jordan comes from a family who are all football players. She’s the only daughter to her famous quarterback dad. She wants nothing more than to play ball and prove to her family and the coaches in high school and further on to the college scouts that she’s a player to watch. Her team mates treat her as one of the guys and know she’s a star in the making.

Jordan and her best friend and team mate Sam have been close since they were younger. They spend most of their time away from school and the team together. I loved Sam! Though he frustrated me here and there, I still couldn’t help but love him when he really opens up to Jordan. When I look back on reading it’s sometimes easy to get frustrated when reading realistic teens because, well, they are teens. They make wrong choices and bad decisions sometimes. Just like we all do and that makes these teens relatable in many ways.

Things start to change for everyone when new student Ty moves to town and shows up at school looking to join the team. One huge problem with that… he’s also a quarterback, the same position as Jordan. With her team always looking out for her, they are all curious about Ty, but make it clear that they won’t give him a chance to take Jordan’s position away.

Ty… hmmm, he’s a tough character for me to talk about. At first I really liked reading the relationship change between him and Jordan but in the end the scars from his past were just way to strong for him to remain that good guy I liked at the beginning. His past made him possessive and irrational, which in turn was a huge turn off for me. I understand why he was the way that he was. I get it I do, it’s just sad that such a great guy had to deal with everything that he did. I think that Jordan changed him for the better, which was what I hoped from the beginning.

I should also mention the minor characters within Jordan’s team and family. There were some characters that added a lot of humor, love and understanding in her life. I loved the parts of the story with her father and felt for him as we watching him struggle with raise a girl who plays football. I’m always thrilled with a well rounded story and the minor characters you find here make reading this title that much richer.

All in all, Kenneally knows how to write a fantastic contemporary title with characters that so many people will find easy to relate to due to how realistic they are. It’s such a nice change of pace when you find a contemporary title that’s all around a terrific read. The characters each have something to offer each other and the reader. The story is sweet and realistic and the conclusion all falls together perfectly.

Reading this title in one sitting was an easy feet so be prepared if you haven’t picked up this title yet because you won’t WANT to put it down. I found the story and characters easy to love and more than memorable. I can see myself reading this one again in the near future and I look forward to Kenneally’s next title Stealing Parker and more! So, get out there and pick this one up today!

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, it was given to me as a gift from a friend, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.

Title: Unbreakable Love
Author: Angela Carling
Publisher: Acacia Publishing, (January 1st, 2011)
From: The Publisher
Format: Paperback
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis: Jennie Townsend is unlucky in love, so she is immediately suspicious when a mysterious new student named Nate tries to gain her friendship. But there is something special about Nate, and in spite of her best efforts Jennie finds her feelings for the boy growing deeper every day.

In fact, Nate is more special than Jennie can even imagine. He is a guardian angel, sent to protect Jennie during a most dangerous time in her life. To do so, he must first become close to her – but not too close. The rules for Protectors warn against physical contact and strictly forbid falling in love. But the more time Nate spends with Jennie, the harder the rules are to follow. Will Nate be able to save Jennie from a premature end, or will his own emotions – and Jennie's – get in the way of completing the task for which he was specifically chosen?

With Unbreakable Love, Angela Carling has created a captivating story for young adult readers, with a refreshing twist on relationship issues. It is an ode to the magical power of true love, a tribute to belief in a benevolent higher power that watches over us and surrounds us every day of our lives.

Review: 3 Stars - Unbreakable Love by Angela Carling is a story about fate, guardian angels and rules. It’s about the choices a human girl will face and about the choices a guardian angel might make when it comes to his charge.

Jennie is a pretty normal teenage girl. Nate is her guardian angel set out to help her along with life and anything that might come up. Knowing the path she’s walking helps Nate throughout his task of keeping Jennie alive to fulfill the future she’s meant to fulfill. Jennie often doesn’t make Nate’s life easy as the two become friends. She continually makes it harder and harder for Nate to follow his guardian angel rules.

Jennie was a character who I thought was okay. I felt she was a teen through and through with her thoughts and actions. She has some issues with a past relationship that she often compared things and people to when making choices in the present or in her future. Then in others she felt somewhat petty with some of her actions that I just didn’t understand how quickly she managed to do some things. There was that whiplash feeling once or twice and that was a huge part in my question just how much I liked this character.

As for Nate, he’s the shining star of the book. In many ways he’s the opposite of Jennie. He’s calm and thoughtful. He’s caring and goes out of his way to befriend Jennie. Yes, he may be tasked as her guardian angel, but his caring for her was more than a job and you could see through his actions he was being pulled into two directions - his duty and his emotions. His part within the story saved this book for me. He made me feel that calming affect when I needed it most while reading. I seriously loved Nate.

While I did enjoy this title there were part of it that I felt were lacking. Sometimes the writing felt a bit simple and the story itself didn’t really grip me as much as I would have liked it to. The push and the pull of Jennie and Nate’s relationship grew a bit old and stale and yet other times it was fluid and a joy to read. It’s almost as if more than one person has written this book or the book needs a bit more polishing to make it and the characters rounder, fuller.

All in all, it might not be my favorite book, but it was far from bad. There were issues that I found while reading, but I found enough that I was able to give this title 3 stars. I suggest this title to anyone who is looking for a quick, light story about angels and love, you won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose of this weekly event is to spotlight a soon-to-be-released book that you are very much anticipating. "Waiting On" Wednesday will also give bloggers an opportunity to share ideas for our TBR lists.

Title: This Is Not A Test
Author: Courtney Summers
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 336 Pages (June 19th, 2012)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

Title: My Life Next Door
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Dial Books, 395 Pages (June 14th, 2012)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: “One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

Short and sweet - I'm so excited for both of these books, I can't even begin to tell you. I want to read both so bad! What do you guys think of them?

*covers are subject to change.

Hey guys! #TeamAmity has been going strong this month! With your help we've been doing GREAT! The month's not over yet and we're still looking for you guys to help bring us to the top! So, with the HUGE group and individual giveaways we've had going on all month, I thought today would be the perfect time to host my own little giveaway. I have something exciting in mind and I hope you guys will be just as excited as I am about it.

So, next month I'll be heading across the pond to visit family over in the UK. I'll be gone the month of May, but figured it might be a great idea to pick up copies of Divergent & Insurgent while I'm there and give it away to ONE lucky winner!

Along with UK copies of both books, the winner will also receive some fun UK surprises! I usually use google forms for my giveaways, but this time I'm going to use Rafflecopter. I wanted to try it and see how it works. I might have some slight changes to it since I've never used it before, but it should be pretty easy to get your entries in. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Here's are the rules for this one:

You MUST be at least 13 years old to enter.
Please fill out the form, no entries in comments will be counted.
This giveaway is open INTERNATIONAL! (Note, if you are International, you will receive ONLY the copies from The Book Depository.)
Giveaway ends: April 30th, 2012

NOTE: Since I'll be gone the month of May, a winner will be chosen and contacted before I leave, and the prize will be mailed out AFTER I have returned, so the winner will receive their prize in early June.

a Rafflecopter giveaway