TOP 17 IN 2017

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Can't believe 2017 is over. What a year. It's been full of ups and downs but overall I am thankful for all my friends and family I had to support me through it all. I wanted to do a top 17 in 2017 and so that's what I've done.

These are my top favorite books of 2017 and it was difficult to narrow it down to just 17, but I am pretty happy with my reading year. I read a total of 113 books! That's a lot of books and in 2018 I hope to read 125. We shall see how it goes...

Here are my top reads (which are not in any particular order):

Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon 

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

The Seven Realms Series by Cinda Williams Chima 

The Darker Shade of Magic Series by V.E. Schwab

Fullmetal Alchemist Series by Hiromu Arakawa

Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy

Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez

Saga Series by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty 

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera 

Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

While technically this is more than 17 books, I decided to lump the series together as one book because I can. And there you have it. My top 17 in 2017! Let me know what some of your favorites of 2017 were or what you are looking forward to in 2018.

Here's to a great reading year! 

Otherworld by Jason Segel Event Recap & Giveaway!!

Hi guys! Today’s blog post is a really special one because I am not blogging alone! Enna and I are collaborating together to talk about JASON SEGEL’s event at Bookshop Santa Cruz! Celebrating the release of his newest novel, which he co-authored with Kirsten Miller, Jason was on tour for OTHERWORLD.

About the book

The company says Otherworld is amazing—like nothing you’ve ever seen before. They say it’s addictive—that you’ll want to stay forever. They promise Otherworld will make all your dreams come true. Simon thought Otherworld was a game. Turns out he knew nothing. Otherworld is the next phase of reality. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted. And it’s about to change humanity forever. Welcome to the Otherworld. No one could have seen it coming.

Highlights from the Event:

Joss: MEETING JASON SEGEL OMG. Look at his face. LOOK AT IT.

Joss: Okay, in all seriousness this was an awesome event! He’s charismatic, funny, (good looking), and so talented! It was so great being able to hear him talk about his career as an actor, writer, and composer. It was inspirational.

I loved his Nightmares series he wrote with Kirsten Miller. And I told him I loved his series and he personalized all my books for me! I managed to speak like something resembling a normal human being. He pronounced my name correctly, which never happens because of the strange spelling. He was sweet and I will never forget our 30 seconds we had together.

Here are some pictures from the event!

Enna: I wholeheartedly agree with Joss! The event itself was amazing! Jason was in conversation with Steve Palopoli from the Good Times and it could have not been any better! I especially loved it when Jason spoke so candidly about his journey through the different facets of creativity he immersed himself in and how it’s a learning process. Just like Joss said, it was so inspirational, especially to those who want to become actors, writers, or pursue a career in a creative field. And the fact he was so down to earth and such a nice guy made it really easy to talk to him.

Both Enna and I are also really excited because we are giving away a signed copy of OTHERWORLD! Details how to enter are below:

Giveaway Details:

One winner will get a SIGNED copy of Otherworld by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

• 1 Entry - Must be following both @jossd17 and @booksboysandblogs on Instagram.
• 1 Entry - Like the both our photos.
• 1 Entry - Tag a person in the comments who would be interested in the giveaway!
• US only.
• Ends NOV. 15TH. Winner will be announced on Nov.16th.

Good luck!

via GIPHY

ROSEMARKED by Livia Blackburne {Blitz & Giveaway}

Hi Everyone!

This is Livia Blackburne, and I'm thrilled to share ROSEMARKED with you at long last. There are a lot of elements to this book, including a love story, a spy story, reflections on trauma and mortality, medical ethics, and political intrigue.  Perhaps because of this, my research for the book was equally eclectic, from archery and stick fighting lessons, to chats with memory researchers and soldiers, and lots and lots of reading, including books about leper colonies, hospice care, and PTSD. Hopefully, I wove it all into an entertaining and thought-provoking story!

This story centers on Zivah, a talented healer with an incurable illness, and Dineas, a traumatized soldier. The two couldn't be more different, and I had a lot of fun writing their unlikely love story.  In order to work together, they both have to let go of their own prejudices and preconceptions. It's a painful process, with fights and misunderstandings, anger, laughter and tears, but in the end, they both come out as stronger people.

 ***

The first in a duology, ROSEMARKED (Hyperion | On Sale November 7, 2017) by New York Times bestselling author Livia Blackburne follows a healer and a solider on a high-stakes mission to spy on the Empire to uncover a deadly secret. With sizzling chemistry and a heartrending ethical dilemma, this thrilling fantasy with nuanced characters will capture fans of An Ember in the Ashes and The Lumatere Chronicles.

New York Times best-selling author LIVIA BLACKBURNE has a PhD in neuroscience from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she conducted research on the neural correlates of reading. She still blogs on the intersection of writing and brain science, and she now lives in Los Angeles with her family. Livia is also the author of Midnight Thief, an Indies Introduce New Voices selection, and its sequel, Daughter of Dusk.

ROSEMARKED by Livia Blackburne 

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Wattpad | Add it on Goodreads

Hardcover: Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository

Ebook: Kindle | Nook | iBooks | Kobo

Also by this author…

MIDNIGHT THIEF

New York Times Bestseller 2014

Indies Introduce New Voices Pick

2015 YALSA Teens’ Top Ten Nominee

Hardcover: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository

Ebook:  Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play

DAUGHTER OF DUSK

Hardcover: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository 

Ebook: Kindle | Nook | iBooks | Google | Kobo

Review: Illegal Contact by Santino Hassell

Illegal Contact (The Barons #1) by Santino Hassell

Publisher: InterMix

Pub. Date: August 15, 2017

*Thank you to the NetGalley and InterMix publishing for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. 

I tend to find sports romance novels to be one and the same. Hot sports athlete who is jaded. But in comes this girl/guy who changes everything. Boom it's love. 

There are quite a few variations of this trope and I'm not saying I don't enjoy it. I do. It clearly works and sells because people keep coming back for more. I haven't read a ton of sports romance novels, so all these thoughts come from my limited knowledge of what I have read.

But Illegal Contact absolutely BLEW ME AWAY. It was everything I needed in the sports romance genre. It was a fresh spin and it seriously so so good. 

Our main character, Gavin Brawley is a seriously angry football player who is on house arrest for six months when a video of him in a brawl goes viral. He is forced to hire a personal assistant to run his errands, get his groceries, ect. He had a tough upbringing and football was the only thing that kept him grounded.

Enter Noah Monroe and his Clark Kent glasses. He's a recent college grad with crazy amounts of debt and in desperate need for a job. He was recently fired from his job for having an affair with his boss. He is an openly gay man and dreams of working in an organization that helps LGBTQIA+ teens. Instead, due to his crippling debt, he is forced to take the job of Gavin's personal assistant for the next 6 months.

The two of these guys get off to a rough start. For starters Gavin is always moody and angry and Noah is stubborn and is not afraid to stand up to Gavin. Slowly the two of them form a middle ground but the attraction is hard to ignore and things spiral out of control.

I loved the both of these characters! I just want to hug Gavin and tell him that everything was going to be okay. He had a tough upbringing and being bisexual football player isn't accepted which is why he hides that part of himself until he meets that person that makes me questions everything.

Noah was such a badass (and an asshole at times too but a lovable one). He was not afraid of who he was and was definitely not afraid to call Gavin out on his crap. He kept Gavin in check and the two of them form and honest and real friendship.

This story was seriously funny and filled with so many adorable moments between these two goofs. The side characters were amazing as well! All of these characters had chemistry and you could definitely tell that they cared about one another. I never wanted the story to end. It was a slow burn but it was worth the wait. I cannot recommend this book enough.

This was my first introduction to Santino Hassell and I will definitely be reading more of his work. Down by Contact is the second book in the Baron series which follows Gavin's best friend and NFL star Simeon Boudreaux and I can't wait to read it!

Do yourself a favor and pick this book up!

Places to buy:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble