Thursday, July 31, 2014

Beach Reads in August Giveaway Hop


When I did my big "clean off the shelves" a couple of weeks ago, I found a stash of fun beach reads!  So I'm giving them away.  They were used when I bought them but they are still in pretty good shape.  I'm giving all NINE books to one lucky winner.



I have read all of these books and enjoyed them very much.
Time to share the love.



International.

Enter below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Hop along to the next blog...


Lux Readathon ~ July 31st ~ Onyx

Thursday is Onyx Day


Onyx (Lux, #2) by Jennifer L Armentrout

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13047090-onyx

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1620610116http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/onyx-jennifer-l-armentrout/1108375242


5 stars - Incredible romance & intense action

How does one review such an awesome book four months early without spoiling things for others? I've thought about this a lot. Here's what I decided. I'm giving you a couple quotes from the end of Obsidian that are telling for what to expect in Onyx.

He placed his hand over mine and squeezed. "But it's not too bad. I mean, I'm pretty sure I morphed you into something and this whole heart thing proves we must be connected." He grinned. "Could be worse." Page 295 Obsidian

He placed his hands on my hips and tugged me forward carefully. His breath stirred the hair around my temple. "If I wanted to be with...." he started, his hands tightening. "If I wanted to be with you, you'd make it hard wouldn't you?"

I lifted my head. "You don't want to be with me."

His lips twitched into a smile. "I'm thinking I kind of do." Page 299 Obsidian

So there's your hints for what's important in Onyx. AND make sure you have read Shadows because.... well.... I loved the..... um..... just read Shadows first - trust me. Now you have an idea of what to expect in Onyx BUT then add a bunch of twists that changes everything! Jennifer is brilliant at sending the reader down a path believing one thing and then BAM something changes and everything you believed 5 minutes ago about the story just did a 180. Gonna enjoy this roller coaster ride.

Of course, I LOVED the characters. Katy is like a friend. She runs a book blog and there are some fabulous lines linked to blogging that I loved. One scene that I can talk about without spoiling anything is the making of her IMM in vlog form. Daemon helped! It was so funny - him handing her books and making comments. Better yet was when she got so many comments the next day on the post mostly talking about the HAWT guy sitting next to her. I thought I'd die laughing it was soooooooo good. But more than the fun of Katy, I love that she didn't roll over and accept all the jerkiness that was Daemon in Obsidian. He can't treat her that way and then expect her to just fall into his arms. You GO Girl!

And while I'm talking about Daemon, he is the most swoon worthy male character I've read in like forever. I could compare him to Will from Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare but better. What I LOVE even more in Onyx is that we get to see the sweet side of Daemon. The Daemon who wants to make up for being a douchbag before. A Daemon that shows his feelings and yet he is still that self-assured very MALE character that had me swooning in Obsidian. If you didn't read my Swoon Thursday last week, check it out here. Daemon knows how to kiss a girl that's for sure.

Every book I read of Jennifer's seems to get better and better. I find myself needing to create a new level of awesominess for her books. Five stars just doesn't seem like enough to describe how absolutely fabulous Onyx is.

Actual Rating: Same as Obsidian--WAY more than only 5 stars

This particular review was NOT originally posted on my blog, but I did review it again on my blog, so you should check it out: Just a Booklover

What is is about Jen's books--the Lux series in particular--that just renders me completely speechless. Always. AH.

All right, so let's break it down a little.

The Beginning
Onyx starts off right where we left off in Obsidian There is no time wasted to get right to Daemon and his complete...you know...let's say hotness. Because I can't think of a better-suited word.

The Plot
The plot of this one is very focused. More focused than the first book, since that one was spent mostly on Katy finding out about Daemon and Dee and all the rest of the aliens. The book jumps right into the story, with Katy being sick, and moves on from there. It's a literal runaway train, plunging straight through to the very end of this beautiful, beautiful book. Much more emotional, too, but I'll talk about that more later.

The Characters
Katy: Still as kickass as ever. I am insanely judgemental towards main female characters, so this is a huge accomplishment. I love Katy, though. I couldn't imagine any other heroine being placed inside these pages. She's the perfect match for Daemon. She's not COMPLETELY perfect by any means, but she makes up for her weaknesses and mistakes in so many ways. I respect that, and I love her for it.

DAEMON: Daemon. Flipping. Black. The reason I'm writing a separate review for Goodreads--I'm going to gush a little more here. I can't help myself, Daemon's just so...[insert inadequate word here]. I have to start by commenting on his hotness. Just as gorgeous as ever, and LOOK at that cover! Wow, right? Yeah. I know. If I were to know Daemon in real life...I don't even know. Now, to his famous personality. He's not as big of a jerk in this book, but that's not a bad thing. He's somewhat nicer, but he still has his spark. His charisma. He still has the ability to make me laugh so hard, everyone around me looks at me funny. And he still has that snark that makes me wish he was RIGHT HERE so I could make some kind of snarky comment right back. Katy did a nice job of taking care of that, though. We see more of Daemon in this one, which will never be the wrong way to go. Ever. The more Daemon, the better. We learn more about him, too. I love that the farther we get into the Lux story, the more we learn about the characters, the more they grow. We see another side of Daemon in this one. We even see him jealous--which is just as hilarious and sweet as it sounds. I don't think anyone will ever replace Daemon's place as my favorite book character EVER. #1 book boyfriend, always.

Dee: Oh, she's sweet and lovable as ever. With the increase of Daemon in this book, we see less of her, though. Plus, she spends a lot of time with Adam. Still, if she were real, she'd totally be my BFF.

Blake: NO, HE IS NOT THE BEGINNING OF A LOVE TRIANGLE. How is that even possible with Daemon in this story? How could anyone pass up Daemon? Blake is the new guy with some dirty little secrets. I don't trust him, but he is nice. For the most part. I liked him well enough, but it'll never be enough to out-shine Daemon. Anyway, there will not be a love triangle. I refuse to acknowledge one. No. Just no. No just no.

All the other aliens: They're there, but..um, yeah, I remain hooked on Daemon. Ash is still bad...but not as bad, I don't think. Andrew is still a narrow-minded fool, and Adam is a sweetie pie. Matthew is a nice dude. I liked him so much more in this book. I'm excited to see how relationships with these characters grow and change as the series goes on.

The Romance
Sweetness. So, so sweet. So much of this. I love it. Just...be prepared for a sweet Daemon. This will give you a warm tingly feeling. It really will.

The Ending
Um, CLIFFHANGER. I don't hold this against Jen, though. The rest of the book was so amazing, how could I? Still, I am dying for the next book--Opal--which comes out in December. As I was saying before, emotional. It's just...sad. Some of it. Sweet, but sad. Awesome, but wah. Always epic. It shall never fail to be epic.

Wrap Up
All right, so I adored this book and the characters just as much, if not more, than I did in the first book. It you haven't read Obsidian, DO IT. And if you have, then read Onyx NO. Right now. DO IT. I have so much love for this book and this series.♥

~~~


Here's some of your buddy read convo from Onyx!

































If you're doing the readathon with us, then it's Onyx Day!  Check out the Prize Pile & Giveaway below. 

Prize Pile...


These things that have been donated to the giveaway pile.  If you still have something to donate, please contact valerie @ stuckinbooks.com and she will add it to the pile.


Signed copy of Lux Beginnings, INT (donated by Valerie @ StuckInBooks)
Signed copy of Lux Consequences, INT (donated by Valerie @ StuckInBooks)
eBook copy of Opposition, INT (donated by Valerie @ StuckInBooks)
eBook Short story, Fallen Souls by Linda Foster, INT mobi or epub format (donated by Linda Foster)
eBook copy of Origin, INT (donated by Kara Blank)
eBook copy of Alienated by Melissa Landers, INT (donated by Giovanna Arevalo)
eBook copy of These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman, INT (donated by Giovanna Arevalo)
JLA swag pack, INT (donated by Lea Krnjeta)
JLA swag pack, US/Can (donated by Jessica @ StuckInBooks)


How the Giveaway works...


The required entry is being signed up for the Readathon.  You can still sign-up here.

Each day, the rafflecopter will have entries for the book of the day.  One entry will be a question you can answer from reading the book.  One entry will be a direct link to a tweet of a favorite quote from that day's book.  One entry will be a direct link to a facebook post with a favorite quote from that day's book.

New entries will be added each day for the book of the day.  You do not have to complete the entries on that books day.  You just need to complete them before the end of the readathon.  Entries for books coming later in the readathon cannot be entered until the day that book is featured.

The first winner chosen by the rafflecopter will get first pick from the prize pile.  As the prizes are claimed, they will be crossed off the pile and the next winner can chose from what remains until all the prizes are claimed.  New prizes may be added over the course of the readathon as things become available.  If you would like to add something to the prize pile, contact valerie @ stuckinbooks.com and she will add it.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Swoon Thursday ~ 7/31/14



The fabulous girls over at YA Bound created this super HOT meme.  Here's how it works.

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog! I want to know & so do the chicks at YABound!




 Onyx (Lux, #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13047090-onyx

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1620610116http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/onyx-jennifer-l-armentrout/1108375242?ean=9781620610114&itm=1&usri=9781620610114&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10:1&r=1,%201


Swoon...


His hands...his kisses were completely undoing me.  And when his hand moved down my stomach, slipping even farther down, I opened my eyes, his name barely a whisper.  A faint whitish-red glow outlined his body, throwing shadows along the walls of his bedroom.  There was something soul-burningly beautiful about being on the brink of losing control, tumbling over into the unknown, and I wanted to fall and never resurface. (kindle location 5493)


 

 Onyx (Lux, #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13047090-onyx

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1620610116http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/onyx-jennifer-l-armentrout/1108375242?ean=9781620610114&itm=1&usri=9781620610114&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10:1&r=1,%201


Swoon... 

Before I could respond or even give thought to the fact that my sickness actually scared him, our lips met. My brain clicked off as my fingers dug through his sweater, and...oh, God, his kisses were deep, scorching my lips as his hands tightened on my waist, pulling me against him. 
Daemon kissed like he was a man starving for water, taking long, breathless drafts. His teeth caught my lip as he pulled away, only to come back for more. A heady mix of emotions warred inside me. I didn't want this, because it was just the connection between us. I kept telling myself that, even as I slid my hands up his chest and circled them around his neck. When his hands inched under my shirt, it was as though he reached deep inside me, warming every cell, filling every dark space within me with the heat from his skin. (page 25-26)