Favorite Bookish Websites and Blogs: Top Ten Tuesday

By Brookelorren on 30 Comments

It’s Top Ten Tuesday again, and today’s topic is “Favorite Book Blogs/Bookish Web Sites”.  For today, I’d like to take a journey back in time… back to some of my favorite bookish web sites to the present, with a few blogs.  While I can’t really say that I’ve developed a list of absolute favorite bookish blogs yet, I’ll randomly include some that I’ve seen and tend to visit regularly.  As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Amazon logoIf I didn’t include Amazon.com, then I’d be leaving out one of my favorite bookish web sites.  They have some amazing Kindle deals… like the other day, I got One Thousand Perfect Notes for just $.99!  I still haven’t had the chance to read it yet, but I cannot pass up sales like that.  I love to pre-order books from my favorite authors and see them sitting in my mailbox on release day.

Archive of Our Own (AO3):  Several years ago, I had just finished the Divergent Series.  I read most of the three books in three days, and I went to bed devastated… but even that night, I refused to believe the ending.  The next morning, I started looking for alternative endings to Allegiant, and I stumbled upon AO3… and fanfiction in general.  Never mind that I had actually written two fanfic novellas in high school without realizing it.  But AO3 started me on a journey that has taken me on the path to where I am today.  At the moment, I keep two AO3 tabs open on my browser almost all of the time.

My local library:  While I’m sure that the Pikes Peak Library district is not of much interest to people outside of the Colorado Springs area, I would be dishonest if I made a list of my favorite bookish web sites without including it.  I’m here almost every day.  I currently have about a dozen books on hold, and check to see the progress of these holds regularly.  Plus, there’s so much that goes on at the library.

While theoretically, I could place Goodreads right after Amazon.com on my bookish journey back into time (I’ve been a member since April of 2013), I’m placing it here because I didn’t take advantage of its amazing goodness as much as I should have until earlier this year.  I had just finished reading The Fates Divide and was looking for another fun book to read, and I ran across their Listopia list of YA Novels of 2018.  You mean there’s 960 YA novels coming out in this year alone?  And they already know that Marie Lu is coming out with another book next year?  I was blown away.  So… I started clicking around, finding some of the popular books to read… but some of them are the third or sixth in a series, so I have to start with the first one (of course)… and I’m finding all of these new books to read… and I still haven’t recovered yet.  Like Amazon and AO3, I almost always have a Goodreads tab open now.

Now we’re almost to the present day, where I can talk about a few really nice blogs that I’ve found.  I found NetGalley shortly after I was blown away by how awesome Goodreads actually is.  You mean that I can actually read some books before they’re released to the public?  I don’t even have to pay for them?  It was around that time that I decided to once again start posting regularly to this blog and focus on book reviews.  After all, if my book blog is doing well enough, I’ll be able to read some of these really cool books early!

In the process, I’ve discovered that this book blog might also be able to help me as an author.  I’ve been a writer for nearly my entire life.  I went to the Young Author’s conference in my local area in both 3rd and 5th grade.  I won NaNoWriMo in 2014 with my fanfic, Dauntless.  But all of this reading and being around book bloggers and authors has inspired me.  Yes, my planned NaNoWriMo novel for this fall is technically a fanfic of a fanfic, but it’s really exciting me, and unlike Dauntless, which is basically an alternate history of Insurgent where Tris chose Abnegation instead of Dauntless, this is morphing into a brand new story.

All of the above web sites are leading me into dreams that I haven’t thought much about since high school (or perhaps before that, even).

Which leads me to the last five bookish web sites for Top Ten Tuesday.  These are some awesome blogs I’ve been reading.  There are so many more, but I can only pick a few… so please realize that I might love your web site as well, and not have room for it here.  These aren’t even a top five, they’re just some that I’m thinking about at the moment.

We Live and Breathe Books (WLABB) always has some great posts.  Plus, Sam (who I think tends to write most of the posts over there) has some pretty good taste in books.  I tend to see her Top Ten Tuesday posts almost every week, and I sometimes will run into some of her other posts at other times throughout the week.

I think I see AJ from Read All the Things all over the place.  She has excellent taste in books and is constantly updating her site with new content.  If you haven’t taken a look at her blog, you should.

It Starts at Midnight is another blog that I see all over the place.  Maybe it’s because I read a lot of the Top Ten Tuesday posts and she usually writes them, maybe it’s because I don’t get home from work until around midnight, so her blog opens up right about the time I get home (okay, probably not the last one).  At any rate, this is another blog that gets updated regularly that you might want to take a look at.

That Artsy Reader Girl LogoI’m always over at That Artsy Reader Girl‘s site.  She hosts Top Ten Tuesday, and it’s a great way to find other people’s blogs.  I usually keep this tab open all week long, because I’m always taking a look at what other people are posting and her TTT linkup is a great way to find other people’s blogs.

Candid Cover logoI visit The Candid Cover‘s web site regularly as well.  This summer, she’s been sponsoring a Summer TBR Wipe-Out; it’s pretty fun to link up with all of these other amazing readers to talk about the books that we’ve been reading over the past few weeks.  She also sponsors contests, various reviews, and keeps her web site regularly updated.

So, that’s a stroll through a little of my bookish history through the use of web sites!  Stay tuned for the next episode of Top Ten Tuesday, where I talk about books to get out of your reading slump (even though I’m not sure if I’ve ever had a reading slump… but I have some ideas anyway).

George Whitefield: Evangelist for God and Empire Paints a Realistic Portrait

By Brookelorren on 2 Comments

I recently was given a copy of George Whitefield: Evangelist for God and Empire, written by Peter Y. Choi.  Like a lot of people who know a lot about the history of the American colonies or of religious history, I knew who George Whitefield (pronounce WIT-field) was.  Whitefield is often portrayed as a preacher who played a huge part in the Great Awakening.  He’s often painted as a saint.  This book seems to paint a more balanced portrait of the preacher.

George Whitefield:  Evangelist for God and Empire tells of the life of Whitefield, not just as a preacher, but as someone who also was a flawed individual, like all of us.  Yes, he preached to the masses during the Great Awakening, but he also owned slaves, had questionable practices with regards to his orphanage, tried to found a college, and involved himself in politics during the War of 1812.

Even though I knew some things about Whitefield before reading this book, there was a lot more to this book that I didn’t know.  Although a lot of things in this book (looking from a 21st century perspective) were not good, like pushing for slavery in Georgia, it was good to learn about these other aspects of his life as well.

The book was a fairly scholarly book, so it wasn’t one that I could read straight through.  It wasn’t a book that I couldn’t put down, and I did read a few other books while I was working on this one, but the information in this book was interesting.  The book is worth reading if you want to learn more about this preacher.

I realize that there have been several non-YA book reviews over the last week and a half, and unfortunately, that’s just how it worked out… I really couldn’t move the dates of my reviews because I wanted the ARCs to get out in a timely manner, and I also wanted to keep my upcoming Throne of Glass and Red Queen reviews together.  On Thursday, we will resume our normal YA reviews with Strange the Dreamer.

Wrap Up Post to the Summer TBR Wipeout

By Brookelorren on 10 Comments

Summer 2018 TBR Wipeout Challenge

It’s hard to believe, but today is the final day to the Summer TBR Wipeout Challenge, hosted by The Candid Cover.  Although summer isn’t completely over, the TBR Wipeout is, and it makes me a little sad.  This is the first challenge that I’ve done as a book blogger, and so it will probably be a little special to me, and it’s sad to see it end.  I’m sure that there will be plenty of new challenges to come.

So without further adieu, I’d like to give my final report:

Since My Last Update:

Since my last update to the Summer TBR Wipeout Challenge, I’ve read five books:

Glass Sword and Crown of Midnight were on my TBR when this challenge began.  The George Whitefield book was an ARC from Netgalley, and the other two books were ARCs that I won through various sweepstakes (my first two physical ARCs!).

Overall Challenge:

Overall, I read 15 books for the Summer TBR Wipeout Challenge.  My reading pace has slowed since I had to go back to work, but since my goal was 10 books, I can say that I reached the goal and that’s a good thing.

I plan on writing reviews for all of the books that I read for this challenge and haven’t been posted yet.  I plan for the weekend of September 13th to be Sarah J. Maas weekend, where I post my reviews for the first three of her books, and the weekend of September 27th will be Victoria Aveyard weekend, where I post the first three books of The Red Queen series.  Yes, I realize that I haven’t read the third book in either series, but since I’m first on the waiting list for both books, I doubt that that will be a problem.

Thanks for reading my updates, thank you to The Candid Cover for hosting this challenge, and I hope that you’ll keep visiting my blog to see my future reviews and hopefully new challenges in the future!

Friction Won’t Rub Your Business the Wrong Way

By Brookelorren on Leave a Comment

I was at the library the other day and I picked up Friction: Passion Brands in the Age of Disruption.  I remember Glenn Beck talking about it a year ago.  At the time, it seemed like a book for larger companies with physical products, but it looked like a quick read, so I picked it up.  If you are a small business owner, I recommend you pick it up.  It’s not just for big businesses.  It’s for bloggers too.

I’ve been writing on the internet since college (and earning money from my writing for almost as long), but I still don’t earn enough to equal my pay at Walmart.  It doesn’t help that some of the places that I used to write for no longer exist, so that money is gone.  At least personal blogs don’t go away unless you want them too.  Anyway, I always feel that I can be more successful at what I’m doing.  Friction actually has pretty good advice for small businesses like bloggers.

One of the main premises of the book is this: people don’t like commercials.  Do you ever pay attention to banner ads?  Do your eyes glaze over like mine when you scroll past sponsored Tweets and Facebook posts?  I thought so.  Getting the word out about your product today is a lot different than it was 10, 15 years ago.

People like getting value for their time.  They don’t want to watch commercials.  They want personalized content.  They don’t like popup ads.  Removing the “friction” from a user’s experience will cause people to want to come back.  This is good advice, whether you are running a physical business where you want to make it easier for people to shop at your store, or if you’re running a blog and you’re hoping that people will want to come back.

The book is really easy to read.  I read it in a few hours.  The type is big and there are a lot of pictures.  Even though it’s not a densely packed book, it will get you to think, what can I do to reduce friction with my customers/readers/etc.?  That question that you will walk away with is probably the most important part of the book.

Whatever your business goals are, Friction is a helpful book to read.

Alternate Universes for Books (Top Ten Tuesday)

By Brookelorren on 32 Comments

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic is technically “Books You’d Mash Together”, but I did a slightly different take today.  Since I couldn’t really think of many ways I’d mash books together (although My New Best Friend technically mashes Divergent and Legend together, I guess), I thought that I’d think of alternative universes for different books instead.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted, as always, by That Artsy Reader Girl.  Follow the rabbit hole down over there and see what other people have to say about this topic as well!

Here’s this week’s list (in no particular order):

Warcross coverWarcross in Wonderland:  If you’ve read Warcross, then you know that it’s a video game that people play with virtual reality glasses.  The possibilities for Warcross worlds are endless.  Why not have Emika fall down the rabbit hole into Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland universe?

Flame in the Mist CoverFlame in the Mists of the Middle East:  Mariko is a fairly badass character.  What would happen if she appeared in a story set in the Middle East, and she was captured by ISIS?  She could escape, then meet up with a rebel group and fight against the terrorist organization.

Legend coverA Legend in Medieval Times:  Maybe this one is cheating, because in April I woke up from a dream and ended up writing the short story Happy Birthday, which basically features some of the Legend characters on June’s 17th birthday, in Medieval times.  I made June a dutchess, Day her Captain of the Guard (previously he had been a brigand and then saved Prince Anden’s life and started working for her), and Natasha Jameson was her Lady in Waiting.  It’s not the greatest story because I put it together in an afternoon, but I do think it makes a cool alternate universe.  I’m probably going to do a fanfic of this fanfic for NaNoWriMo this year (although it’s going to be really different… it’s going to have elves and a different plot and I’m altering the characters quite a bit).

Young Elites coverThe Young Elites in Modern Times:  This is another story that I’m cheating on, because this is basically what my work in progress Gamers is all about.  In this story, Adelina and Magiano would meet in a World of Warcraft guild, then they run away from their abusive parents and end up finding other Elites like them who have already formed The Dagger Society.  Of course, Magiano wouldn’t really be a petty thief stealing candy bars from Walmart; he’d be an expert hacker who stole some of the Bitcoin that the US government had seized from people.

Strange the Dreamer CoverStrange the Dreamer in Space:  I could definitely see this book written in an alternate universe, where instead of having humans and gods, there are aliens instead.

Throne of Glass coverThrone of Glass and Ice:  The cover of Throne of Glass already has kind of an icy feel to it.  I don’t know if the story would change a lot in this one, but it would make the world a little bit different looking.

An Ember in the Ashes CoverAn Ember in the Ashes of the American Revolution:  Elias could be a revolutionary general and Laia could be helping him out.  I haven’t thought this one out much, but it might have some potential.

Caraval coverCaraval in Vegas:  Caraval already has a dangerous, risky kind of feel to it; I could imagine a kind of scenario where the story could take place in Las Vegas.

City of Bones CoverCity of Bones in Old London:  With its werewolves and vampires, I could completely see this story set in some sort of Victorian England setting.  Not the setting of queens and royalty, but the Oliver Twist, workhouses for the poor type of Victorian England.

Kiss Quotient coverThe Kiss Quotient of the Schoolmarm:  I don’t know exactly how this one would work out, as school teachers aren’t paid very much, but we could put Stella in a role as a school teacher in the 1800s in the wild west (maybe she’s an heiress or something).  She could hire Michael because she just can’t figure out how to find the right guy.

So there’s ten alternate universes for books that could have been… or could be, if you write fanfiction.  Are there any books you could imagine an alternate setting for?

My Mother, Barack Obama, and the USA

By Brookelorren on 4 Comments

My Mother Barack Obama coverAbout a month ago, I received an advanced review copy of Kevin Powell’s My Mother, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and the Last Stand of the Angry White Man.  It’s a long title for a book that’s only 281 pages long.  I think I won it in a contest.

For a book like this, it’s probably important to know a little bit about my political thoughts, because it might shape my perception of this book.  I’m a conservative libertarian.  While I think that Donald Trump’s policies have been a mixed bag, as a person, I think that he is an adulterous, racist, sexist, compulsively-lying braggart; I don’t like him as a person at all, and didn’t vote for him (I voted for Darrell Castle).

I didn’t know how I would feel about this book when I entered the contest to win it; however, I believe in listening to the opinions of others.  How are you going to learn if you live in a bubble and only read books by people that agree with you?  Nevertheless, I did find this to be an enjoyable book, even though I don’t agree with him on several issues.

This book is a collection of essays written by Kevin Powell over a period of several years.  It covers a variety of topics, including racism, sexism, music, and sports.  Evidently, Mr. Powell is a former cast member of The Real World, as well as a staff member of Vibe magazine.  I didn’t know that when I started the book, but I guess some people may recognize him from those sources.

I found this book an interesting view into another person’s thoughts.  I’ve never been the victim of sexual harassment before, but his mother has, and he speaks about her experiences, and about the experiences that he had, growing up and thinking that sexual harassment and domination was a normal thing.  His thoughts on racism from the perspective of a black man growing up in the ghetto was also interesting (my husband is also black and grew up in a poor neighborhood with a single mother as well, but his experiences were quite different).  His essays on music brought back memories.

I rated this book more highly on Goodreads than I did Harbor Me, which I reviewed last week.  They both cover similar topics, but I think that My Mother, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and the Last Stand of the Angry White Man did a better job covering the subjects than Harbor Me did.  Of course, this is a collection of essays, while Woodson’s Book is a fictional Middle Grade book, but I think that this book just seemed to work better.

Powell’s unique perspective did cause me to see things from a different perspective.  Although I don’t agree with him on everything, I can understand how he feels about the political situation that the United States finds itself in today.  I felt for his mother, who was abandoned by her baby’s daddy years ago, and never really found love in her life.  As I read about his mom and how he one day discovered how old she had gotten, I had to call my mom (I talked to my parents for over an hour this evening).

More than anything, I could imagine the cycle of despair that his family had grown up in, and I imagine how things like that continue to this day.  There are families where the kids grow up without a parent, and they are told that they are worth less for one reason or another.  I see how people might take someone’s ignorant or malicious comments personally.  I don’t know how we end this cycle, because children growing up under these difficult circumstances can sometimes grow up to become angry adults whose children have the same kind of childhood, but I do know that we can do our best to treat everybody with respect, and do our part to try not to contribute to the hate in the world.

At any rate, Powell’s book was good.  If you’re looking for a book that could potentially challenge your opinions, you might want to take a look at it.

This book is scheduled to be released on September 4th, but you can pre-order it now.

Ever the Hunted is Ever Wonderful

By Brookelorren on 4 Comments

Ever the Hunted CoverEver the Hunted was a wonderful book.  I discovered it as I was looking through upcoming titles.  Once a King looked really interesting, but since it was the third in the series, I figured that I better start at book 1.  I was in luck, because Ever the Hunted was available at the library (I’m on the waiting list at the moment for Ever the Brave).

The book grabbed me from the beginning pages.  Our heroine, Britta, is in a tough situation.  Her papa died, and the king is ready to come and take her lands, because she can’t inherit it.  She hasn’t seen her ex-boyfriend Cohen in over a year, but that doesn’t matter anyway, because she could never marry him anyway: he has a noble heritage and can’t marry an outcast like her anyway.

After she gets caught poaching, she is asked to go find the murderer: her ex-boyfriend Cohen.

Dun dun dun!!!

If you want to find out what happens, you’ll have to read the book.  As the story progresses, we find out that things aren’t exactly as they initially appear to be.  Britta finds out that she is not exactly the person she thought she was.  She finds out that there is more that she can do than just finding out who killed her papa — she needs to try to save the kingdom itself.  Even if it costs her her life.

I loved this book from the very beginning.  The characters’ struggles grabbed me from the start, and they were well-written.  There were many supporting characters, many which seemed to have their own personalities and desires.

The world was interesting.  There are two main countries in this story, both of which seem to have their own unique personalities.  The two countries are at the verge of war, and you can feel the tension as a result.

This book is suitable for teens of all ages.

I’m looking forward to getting to the front of the waiting list at the library for Ever the Brave.  I can’t wait to read more of this trilogy!

Get To Know Me Tag (Writer’s Edition)

By Brookelorren on 4 Comments

You may have seen this tag floating around the blogging sphere lately. I chose to accept the challenge from Rachel. The tag was started by Savannah and the rules are as follows-

• Link back to the person who created the tag.
• Thank the person who tagged you.
• Share the tag graphic
• Tag eleven bloggers (I’m actually just tagging anybody who wants to do it though)

Vital Stats and Appearance

  • Name: Brooke Lorren (well, that’s my pen name.  It’s my real first name and an alteration of the spelling of my middle name.  BTW, my real middle name comes from the Lord of the Rings.  Not only was I partially named after an elf, my kids were named after bookish elves as well; it’s a multi-generational thing already).
  • Nicknames: Brooke.  My boy calls me something that you would probably pronounce as Mamu (we have an oo language that we made up together, so sometimes I’ll tell him “I love oo”).
  • Birthday: June 22
  • Hair color and length: Light brown/Dark blonde.  Been dying it that color since college.  Goes halfway down my back.  The only time since 1st grade that it’s been short was in boot camp.  Hated it short both times.
  • Eye color: Blue
  • Braces/piercings/tattoos: Had braces for years, but got them off before I graduated high school.  I have one piercing in each ear.
  • Righty or lefty? Lefty
  • Ethnicity: Mostly European.  German (once when I was in Germany someone stopped me and asked me for directions auf Deutsch), English.  I have done a lot of ancestry work and the earliest non-northern European ancestry comes about in the 12th century.  My grandma said that we’re part Nez Pierce Indian, but I haven’t found that yet in my research.

Firsts

  • First novel written: It was a fanwork I wrote in the 11th grade about a girl who started a music group and got into a relationship with a guy from a particular band (who will be nameless).  My second book was called Save the Best for Last, which had a soundtrack to it.  I wrote that in 12th grade.
  • First novel completed: Same
  • Award for writing: Probably the Rising Star award given out by Associated Content (which has long been shut down).  Before that I was named a Featured Reviewer at Epinions.com, but I don’t know if that counts.  I probably got some sort of writing awards in school too.
  • First Publication: I did get a poem published in one of those books that are probably a scam, LOL.  Yahoo! did pick up one of my articles once.  Other than that, I publish electronically.  I write for Archive of Our Own (AO3) and worked as a content producer for Empirical Marketing for a little over a year (but they had a terrible business plan and I knew they wouldn’t be able to keep paying me for very long).
  • First Conference: Never been to one.  Maybe someday.
  • Query/Pitch: I don’t have anything to query at the moment.  I plan on making this year’s NaNoWriMo novel something that I can submit.

Favorites

  • Novel (that you wrote):  Hmm… it’s a novella, but so far I think I like Republican Phenoms the best.  Out of my unpublished works, Saving Adelinetta might have the most potential, but I have a lot of work to do on that one to make it good.  Hero will probably be really good once I can finish it and polish it up.  I’m in the “wrapping it up” stage of the first draft of that one and I think the story itself is pretty good.
  • Genre: Fantasy or dystopian.  Maybe a combination of both.
  • Author: Marie Lu.  Veronica Roth takes a close second, although there are many amazing authors out there.
  • Writing Music: Silence.  I also think about my writing in silence.  I often will not have music or podcasts on in my car just so I can think about my work.
  • Time to Write: Evenings.  Unless I work until 11, then I sometimes don’t have time.  Sometimes in the afternoons.
  • Writing Snack/Drink: tea and water.  I try to drink one kombucha a day (a kombucha a day keeps the doctor away).  I don’t usually eat snacks.
  • Movie: Probably Forrest Gump.  I don’t watch a lot of movies though.
  • Writing Memory: Nothing in particular comes to mind.
  • Childhood Book: I loved a lot of books as a kid, including Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables.  I don’t really think I had a favorite childhood book.
 

Currently

  • Reading: My Mother.  Barack Obama.  Donald Trump.  And the Last Stand of the Angry White Man by Kevin Powell (as I write this on Monday).  I’ll be starting another fiction book shortly; perhaps before I finish this one.
  • Writing: I’m currently polishing up (and publishing on AO3) My New Best Friend.  I have four other WIPs, Like Normal People (2 1/2 chapters to go; I started that 2 1/2 years ago), Hero, Saving Adelinetta, and Gamers (which is on hiatus, more than likely, until 2019).  I’m making plans for my untitled NaNoWriMo novel.  I know a couple of the characters, have got an inkling of the magic system, am doing a little worldbuilding, etc.  I won’t write a sentence on that one until November.
  • Listening to: Nothing  If I’m not thinking about my stories, I’ll listen to podcasts or one of my playlists in the car (with a wide variety of music).
  • Watching: I don’t really watch much TV.  I used to watch Survivor and The Amazing Race, but I haven’t in a while.  I’ve seen the first season of The Americans.  When I go to my Russian meetup group we sometimes watch movies and TV shows in Russian.
  • Learning: I’m a polyglot, so when I’m not focusing on writing, I’m learning languages.

Future

  • Want to Be Published: Sure!  I have a goal to get 1500 rejections, unless I get published first.  But first I have to write something that isn’t fanfiction.  I always stumble there.  But my latest fanworks have had a lot more original characters and plots, so I am getting better at it.
  • Indie or Traditional: I will try for traditional, but I’m not the kind of person who lets my work sit in a drawer forever.  If I write something and it doesn’t look like it will ever get a chance with a traditional publisher, then I’ll self-publish it.
  • Wildest Goal: I don’t think I’ve thought that far.  I’ll take whatever comes.

Nominees

  • Anybody who wants to write this!  I’m really not a tagging kind of person.

The Kiss Quotient Adds Up!

By Brookelorren on 10 Comments

I recently saw a review for The Kiss Quotient and saw a review that made it look good.  The main character is an econometrician who has Asperger’s.  You had me at math, LOL!  It certainly looked like a unique kind of love story.  I had recently read a string of dark fics where the guy and the girl aren’t together at the end of the story, so I wanted something different.  We can’t read Holocaust stories and stories with war all the time!

Our protagonists are Stella, the econometrician with Asperger’s, and Michael, who works part time as an escort to help solve his money problems.  Stella has really bad luck with relationships.  She really doesn’t care for them, but her parents are bugging her about grandchildren.  Stella decides to hire Michael to teach her about relationships and sex.

Michael is getting a little tired of his job, but he needs to keep doing it because he needs the money.  When Stella hires him, he’s expecting an old lady, but he’s happily surprised when he finds a lady that he’s quite attracted to.  He doesn’t think that she needs to hire an escort, and initially doesn’t want to work with her (she wants to hire him for more than one Friday, but he has a rule to not work with someone more than once), but he eventually agrees.

I liked the characters.  Even though I don’t have Asperger’s, I can see a lot of myself in Stella.  Like Stella, boys have never asked me out (there’s a reason why I met my husband on the internet).  I rehearse conversations in my head before I have them, and sometimes I almost have a panic attack when I have to call someone on the phone.  So I found myself identifying with her quite a bit.  She is also a person who has interests and dreams, and is not a stereotype.  Michael is a kind person, which is exactly what Stella needs as she gains confidence with relationships.  He has family and friends that make his life fuller.  As you read the story, you discover why he needs all of this money.

The Kiss Quotient is not a young adult book; it has some scenes that are not appropriate for non-adult teens.

If you’re looking for a light book, The Kiss Quotient might be for you.  It’s a cute little read that will keep you entertained.  I would consider reading Hoang’s next book, The Bride Test (which deals with Michael’s cousin Khai, who also has Asperger’s) next year.

August Monthly Deals on Amazon.com!

By Brookelorren on Leave a Comment

I have recently discovered how wonderful Amazon.com’s sales can be.  While I’ve known for a while that Amazon has plenty of free books, I’ve often found them to be either books in the public domain or ones that were just “meh” to me.  However, if you look at the right time, you can find books on sale that might already be on your TBR for $1.99 or $2.99.  Here are the books that are on sale in August that I’m most interested in (or have already read):

Renegades CoverMarissa Meyer’s Renegades is on sale this month for $2.99!  I haven’t read it yet, but it’s been on a lot of people’s favorite book lists.  Maybe it will be one of your favorites!

Three Dark Crowns coverThree Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake is on sale this month for $1.99!  It sounds like an interesting story and I’ve thought about getting it.  Now would be a good time to do so.

I’m not a huge fan of superheroes, so I’ll probably pass on this one myself, but Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo is on sale for $1.99 this month.  It’s part of the DC Icons series.

Batman coverAlthough I’m not a fan of superheroes, I do like everything that Marie Lu publishes, and I did like her Batman: Nightwalker.  It’s on sale for $1.99 this month!

Those are the books that seemed most interesting to me that are on sale at Amazon.com this month.  This link will lead you to a list of the rest of the great August 2018 deals, if you’re interested in seeing more!