Top 10 Week! My Favorite Quotes of 2018

I love sharing my favorite quotes, because it's through other reviewers' favorite quotes that I've been hooked in and found some awesome books. So, I hope favorites help spread the book love too! This is a list of my favorite quotes from books I read in 2018 in no particular order. 

“You’re sorry?!” I lowered my voice to a grumble. “She’s sorry. I just got burned at the stake. AGAIN. But, she’s sorry. So, no big deal.”

“Actually, last time you were hung,” Gage mumbled. Sometimes I wanted to whap him with a shoe. This was one of those times.

“The point here is more about the dying, Gage, but thanks for your commitment to details.”

~REN: Reposed (REN #2) by Brittany Quagan

I highly recommend this series! 5 stars! Here are my reviews...

REN: Awakened

Ren: Reposed by Brittany Quagan

“Phoebe, the fact that I asked you to be a chaperone should have made it obvious that I didn’t want a chaperone at all.”

“I have no desire to be one,” Phoebe retorted. “However, the children are asking why you’re taking so long, and I can’t very well explain to them that you’re a libidinous goat.”

“No,” Gabriel replied, “because then you would sound like a parsimonious prig.”

Pandora was perplexed by the quick, fond grins the siblings exchanged after the sharp words. 

~Devil in Spring (The Ravenels #3) by Lisa Kleypas

This series is a favorite guilty pleasure of mine! I can easily disappear into these books. Here are my reviews...

Cold-Hearted Rake

Marrying Winterborne

Devil in Spring

Hello Stranger

"Bravery is a choice, Miss Bridges. It's not inherent or given. It's a choice we make. And real courage is tested not by those who simply make hard choices but by those who stand by them. Even in the face of fear and recrimination." 

~Tia Saunders The Truth About Us

This is an excellent story with a main character we can all relate to. My review of this book...

Something of Substance

"When he spoke to her using his holier-than-thou my-father-is-Speaker-for-the-Directorate tone, she remembered why she had once shot a fireball at his head."

          ~ Burning Bright by Chris Cannon

“Your daughter lacks manners,” Adden said.

“Hurt her and you’ll be lacking your balls,” Bryn’s mom growled through the phone. 

Adden blinked. “I see where she gets it from.

          ~ Burning Bright by Chris Cannon

“You’ve caused yet another mess—” Ferrin started. 

“Keep yelling at me, and I’ll name your grandchildren after my parents,” Bryn shot back. 

          ~ Burning Bright by Chris Cannon

Bryn sighed . “Promise me you won’t run off and do something dangerous…without me.”

“A normal female would have ended that sentence two words earlier.”

          ~ Burning Bright by Chris Cannon

I am so completely addicted to each and every book in this series. There's no way I could post just one quote. Not possible.

Here are my reviews from this series...

Going Down in Flames

Bridges Burned

Trial by Fire

Fanning the Flames

Burning Bright

“You make me wish I were alive so that I could feel my heart beating in response to just seeing you."

~ Hotline to Hell by Emily Cyr

I've loved everything I've read from this author so far. This one is no exception. I can't wait for more of her books. Check out my review of...

Hotline to Hell

“Sorry, but this guy is literally choosing to advertise Lord of the Rings on his body. I don’t think there’s going to be a whole lot of common ground.” 

~ The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

My review of...

The Upside of Unrequited

I feel responsible. I am responsible. Oh no. This is my fault. I’ve turned my sister into an online ho!” 

~ Seized by Love at Seaside (The Ryders #1)
by Addison Cole

My review of...

Seized by Love at Seaside

Me: And still, you avoid the question. Do you think she’s pretty? 

When I look up, he’s staring at her once more. His hand is fisted and the muscles in his neck flex. Finally, he turns his attention to his phone to reply. 

Torin: Pretty is one word and she is many. Beautiful. Alluring. Appealing. Charming. Cute. Dazzling. Delicate. Delightful. Elegant. Exquisite. Fascinating. Fine. Gorgeous. Graceful. Lovely. Magnificent. Marvelous. Pleasing. Splendid. Stunning. Wonderful. Superb. Angelic. Bewitching. Classy. Divine. Excellent. Enticing. Foxy. Fair. Pulchritudinous. Radiant. Ravishing. Resplendent. Shapely. Beautiful. 

I laugh and Casey shoots me a shy smile before turning back to the movie. 

Me: You said beautiful twice. 

Torin: It needed to be said twice.

This book was one of a kind. You must truly understand and savor its characters to fully appreciate them.

~ My Torin by K Webster

My Review of...
My Torin

I used to hear about plane crashes and wondered how the victims felt in the seconds before impact, wondered what it was like to know you were about to die.

Now I know. And I’d give anything not to.

            I knew those people from school. Every. Single. One.

They aren’t faceless names. They are people and they are dead.  

~ Feel Me Fall by James Morris 

All I can say is, This author knew exactly what he was doing.

My review of...

Feel Me Fall

“Every good story needs a villain.

But the best villains are the ones you secretly like.” 

~ Legendary by Stephanie Garber

Expect the unexpected in this trilogy. Check out my review of...
Legendary

Top Ten Week!!!

My Favorite Books of 2018

My Favorite Quotes of 2018

My Favorite Book Covers of 2018

My Favorite Book Boyfriends of 2018

Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2019

Top 10 of Week! My Favorite Books of 2018

Happy New Year!!

This is my favorite bloggy time of year. I love picking out all of my favorite bookish things that I've read over the past year! 

Let's start the week off with my Top 10 Favorite books of the year!

(I couldn't begin to decide which I liked better than the other. It was hard enough to only pick 10. So, here they are, in no particular order)

Burning Bright (Going Down in Flames #5) by Chris Cannon 
Genre: Young Adult (Fantasy Romance)
Expected publication: June 4, 2018
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Why did I love this book?
I love the bantering and wit among the main characters. I can't get enough of it. I seriously want to be a dragon shifter now. Every book in this series has been impossible to put down.

Click here for the blurb and my full review!

Feel Me Fall by James Morris  
Genre: Young Adult (Mystery, Suspense, Thriller)
Date Published: May 6, 2017
Publisher: Self

Why did I love this book?

This book had so many things I typically don't like about a book, but it was put together so well, I couldn't imagine it being told any other way. I'm so glad I gave this one a chance. This is a must read!

Click here for the blurb and my full review!

An Earl in Wolf's Clothing (Rules of the Rogue #1) by Emily Windsor
Genre: Adult Fiction (Historical Romance)
Date Published: September 28, 2017
Publisher: Self

Why did I love this book?

I love smart, feisty characters. Sophie is that and more. Her story is very entertaining.

Click here for the blurb and my full review!

My Torin by K Webster
Genre: Adult Fiction (Contemporary Romance / Psychological Romance)
Date Published: January 9, 2018
Publisher: Self

Why did I love this book?

Where to begin with this one. I can't sum it up in just a few words. It's not possible. You'll have to read the review to know it made the list. It's just easier that way, since I've already fully explained it there.

Click here for the blurb and my full review!

Road to Eugenica by A.M. Rose
Genre: Young Adult (Science Fiction/Romance)
Date Published: February 5, 2018
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Why did I love this book?

Drea is very easy to relate to, so living vicariously through her while I was reading added to the entertainment. I love that in a book!

Click here for the blurb and my full review!

The Angel Trials (Dark World: The Angel Trials #1) by Michelle Madow
Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal Romance)
Date Published: March 19, 2018
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Why did I love this book?

I love that this series takes place in the same "Dark World" as the Vampire Wish series. That series was fantastic, and if this first book is anything to go by, it will be too. 

Click here for the blurb and my full review!

Phoenix Fire (Phoenix Cycle #1) by S.D. Grimm
Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal/Fantasy)
Date Published: March 5, 2018
Publisher: Entangled: Teen

Why did I love this book?

Each character was brought to life with their own histories. This is the first book I've read that centered on Phoenixes, and I've gotta say... they definitely caught my interest.

Click here for the blurb and my full review!

The Elusive Earl (Saints & Scoundrels #2) by Maddison Michaels Genre: Adult Fiction (Historical Romance)

Date Published: August 27, 2018
Publisher: Entangled: Amara

Why did I love this book?

This was a fun adventure that hooked me in with the bantering. 
Click here for the blurb and my full review!

The Crimson Throne by Christi Stallard

Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal/Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: February 10, 2017
Publisher: Self

Why did I love this book?
I was completely intrigued by the supernaturals. 
Click here for the blurb and my full review!

Tempt (The Pteron Chronicles #2) by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Genre: New Adult (Paranormal Romance)
Date Published: January 25, 2018
Publisher: Self

Why did I love this book?There is a lot going on within this book. I'm still trying to figure out some of it, but there is so much depth to this story line, and it's starting to piece together.
Click here for the blurb and my full review!

The Honorable Mention goes to...

Why? Once I started reading the Seven Series by Dannika Dark, I couldn't stop. If you're a fan of shifters, steamy romance, and characters with intoxicating personalities, this is the series for you. I can't wait to get my hands on more of her books! Click here for the blurb and my full review of the first book in the series!

Top Ten Week!!!

My Favorite Books of 2018

My Favorite Quotes of 2018

My Favorite Book Covers of 2018

My Favorite Book Boyfriends of 2018

Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2019

Release Day Blitz! Screams You Hear by James Morris

Screams You Hear by James Morris 
Genre: Young Adult (Horror)
Date Published: January 22, 2018
Publisher: Self

Murder and madness infect a small town 

For sixteen-year-old Ruthie Stroud, life on tiny Hemlock Island in the Pacific Northwest is an endless sea of boring green, in a place where everybody knows everybody’s business and nothing ever happens. Then her world is ripped apart when her parents divorce and a new man enters her mother’s life. But worse is yet to come. 

When she drifts ashore on the mainland, hideously burned, Ruthie has a harrowing tale to tell. It begins with the murder of a family. It ends with her being the sole survivor of a cataclysm that sweeps her little island. As a detective attempts to unravel Ruthie’s story of murder and madness, only one horrifying conclusion can be drawn: whatever was isolated on remote Hemlock Island may now have come to the mainland. Is Ruthie safe? Is anyone?

Chapter One

I wake to pain, pain beyond comprehension, my skin on fire, only to find myself in a hospital bed, my arms bandaged, and wires snaking into machines. The burns are covered in white gauze and every motion, no matter how small, sends my nerves screaming. The air is heavy against my skin. And that smell. I can still smell the bitterness of my singed hair. I feel my head, expecting strands of hair, thick and wavy, but it’s gone. There are only splotches of emptiness, a topography of touch that alarms me. I wonder if it will ever grow back.
Tendrils of anxiety course through me, pulsing steadily. I need to wake up from whatever this is.
In spite of the pain, I caress my face and I have no eyebrows. Only stubble. No matter where I touch, my skin isn’t soft; it’s leather, a mask that rests too tightly against my skull. It’s like my skin is both expanding and contracting, pushing and pulling.
In the cyclone of terror, I remember. I remember everything.
I wish I didn’t. I wish it all away.
Around the room, there are no mirrors, and I know it’s no accident. It’s small comfort. I don’t want to see myself. I may never look in a mirror again. It’s only me and a bed, and colorful murals of elephants and giraffes on the wall, their cartoon smiles mocking me. I must be in the children’s wing, even though I’m sixteen. Next to me, an IV recedes into my vein. To my left is a button. It could be to call for assistance. Or to adjust the bed. But I think it’s something else. I think it’s for pain.
I could press it and disappear into numbness.
I could press it and just drift.
But there is something about pain. It’s the price of being alive.
The button is my litmus test.
I am stronger than my pain. I need to focus on something—anything. I need to distract myself.
I am not my pain.
I am Ruthie Stroud. I live at— wait—not anymore. I have a brother—no, not anymore.
I shut my eyes. I can’t shut them hard enough. Through the darkness, I still see fire. My world engulfed with flickering orange and reds. And the all-encompassing heat, heat beyond boiling, bordering on oblivion. Melting.
My last memory is coming ashore on the mainland, alone and fiercely tired. I didn’t walk, didn’t run. I moved, floating, held aloft by the most invisible of strings, my eyes on the horizon, people on the edges of my vision. Adults. I felt their gaze. The air was cool and moist and my skin so hot. Moving and moving; people staring. I hear them, words like police and 911 and oh my God. They surround me, a horde. They’re feral creatures, circling, their faces distorted. They are coming for me. I have no escape.
I scream and my world goes dark.
“Ruthie?”
I open my eyes. A woman stands in the hospital room doorway. Her skin is the color of teak, her black hair pulled into a tight ponytail, and without a uniform, she’s clearly no nurse. I look down her button-down shirt and a badge is attached to her belt, a gun holstered at her side.
She says, not unkindly, “I’m Detective Perez from the Washington State Police.”
I knew the cops would get involved, even though they’re late. Far too late.
She waits for me to invite her in. “May I?”
I nod and my skin crinkles and cracks. She enters, pulling a chair beside my bed and sits down. Her brown eyes rest on me and then dart away. She can’t bear to look. I must seem a monster. She asks, “How are you feeling?”
I don’t know how to answer that question.
“I’m sorry,” she says.
Down the hall, I hear a child scream. From surgery or fear, I don’t know. I think fight the pain, fight the pain.
She speaks to me in soothing tones. “I need to ask you a few questions. About what happened. Can you talk?”
My mouth is dry, my throat sore, my vocal chords thrashed. I’d forgotten how much I screamed. I feel my skin wrinkle into deep crevices as I move my jaw, and it’s an effort to form words. Even my tongue feels burned; this strange muscle in my mouth. “Is my dad coming?”
“He’s on his way.” We share a bit of silence and I stare at the woman she is, the beautiful woman I will never be, and she says, “I’d like to start at the beginning. And if there’s ever a point where you need to stop, just let me know, okay?”
“There’s just one thing,” and I clear my throat. I force her to find my eyes. To see. To look. To understand.
“What’s that?”
“Don’t judge me,” I tell her. “I did what I had to.”

Check out my review of another book by this author!

James Morris is a former television writer who now works in digital media. He is the author of the Kindle Scout selectees What Lies Within and Melophobia, as well as the young adult suspense Feel Me Fall and trio of short stories Abraham Lincoln Must Die. 

To learn more about James Morris  and his books, visit his website.You can also find him on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Book Review! Feel Me Fall by James Morris

Feel Me Fall by James Morris
Genre: Young Adult (Mystery, Suspense, Thriller)
Date Published: May 6, 2017
Publisher: Self

Secrets and survival in the Amazon

Emily Duran is the sole survivor of a plane crash that left her and her teenage friends stranded and alone in the jungles of the Amazon. Lost and losing hope, they struggle against the elements, and each other. With their familiar pecking order no longer in place, a new order emerges, filled with power struggles, betrayals, secrets and lies. Emily must explain why she's the last left alive.

But can she carry the burden of the past?

Discover the gripping new adventure novel that explores who we are when no one is watching, and how far we'll go in order to survive.

Feel Me Fall by James Morris was not the type of story I typically read, but there was something about its cover and blurb that wouldn't let me ignore it. It was the oddest thing, because this book had no romance, which is something I need at least a little bit of in my fiction, plus it had numerous flashbacks, which are usually deal breakers with me in books too. Not this time! We get flashes from life before the crash, present day in the hospital as Emily heals, and what happened during and after the crash as she writes it. It all worked, and not only that, but I don't think this story could be told any other way. I wouldn't want it to be. This author knew exactly what he was doing. 

Since I knew from the start that Emily was the sole survivor, I was afraid the story wouldn't keep my interest. I felt like I knew the end before it began. You know what I mean? Again, I couldn't be more wrong, and for that, major kudos to the author for keeping me in suspense as I learned the demise of each character. 

Speaking of the characters... 

The rules have changed. It doesn't matter how popular you were before. It's all about survival for these guys now. Some don't know how to do that so well, so they work with what they have in the best ways they can. Their transformations were surprising and horrifying, and very believable, making it that much more revolting. People are complicated in the best of times, let alone when their lives are on the line. This is not one of those scary stories that will keep you up at night, but it'll certainly make you wonder what the average person is really capable of outside the bounds of civilization. There were so many bits of genius in this book that eerily captured the gritty, ugly, and savage sides of human nature.

Feel Me Fall was kindly provided to me by the author for review. The opinions are my own.

I have tried so hard to forget, but memory is a stubborn thing. Memories linger no matter what I do. They’re there all the time—and worse. Even my dreams aren’t safe. I have vicious nightmares, and they’re real—too real—and suddenly I’m back there. I can’t will them away, I can’t squeeze them away, and the more I try, the more they burrow in my head. I want to cut open my skull and dig my fingers into my brain and just pull them out.

I press the Call Nurse button.

 This place, this room; it’s no better than a white coffin. Sometimes I feel like the walls are closing in on me and I have to remind myself nothing’s moving. Nothing at all.

            Breathe, I tell myself. Just breathe.

            A nurse enters. She’s got skin the color of rich walnut. She says, “It’s late, you should be asleep.”

            “I can’t.” She tilts her head, knowing it’s a lie. The truth is I don’t want to. “Can I have some coffee?”

            “You’ve got to sleep sometime, honey.” She walks over and gently grasps my bandaged hand. “Do you want me to stay with you a while?”

            Usually my mom is with me, but she must’ve had to run home. Reduced to a little girl, I nod.

            I close my eyes, but my mind runs and runs. Tubes and fluids enter my body, but there’s nothing to stop the anxiety. My heart pounds and sometimes I fear I’m on the cusp of crossing into whatever lies on the other side of sane. Being in the hospital makes it harder. The white walls and sick people only remind me that I am so far from normal. My mom’s apartment in Los Angeles is less than five miles away, but it might as well be a million.

The nurse, staff, doctors, everyone; they all know me for one thing. The thing that will define me for the rest of my life. I am a survivor. The only survivor of Air Brazil, the plane that crashed in the Amazon jungle carrying 134 passengers; 37 of them students, teachers, and chaperones from Riverdale Academy High. I used to hear about plane crashes and wondered how the victims felt in the seconds before impact, wondered what it was like to know you were about to die.

Now I know. And I’d give anything not to.

            I knew those people from school. Every. Single. One.

They aren’t faceless names. They are people and they are dead.

The counselor didn’t help, either. She told me not to feel guilty. Survivor’s guilt, she called it. She warned I could expect to be angry and sad. I could expect to be confused. I wanted to tell her I was angry and sad and confused long before I got onto that plane.

            My counselor told me to write my story down. By writing I could make sense of all that happened. I keep thinking if I remember everything the way I need to that the memories will fade away. That I can accept what happened. I can accept that I survived and everyone else died.

The laptop on my nightstand is waiting for me. I’m scared to touch it.

James Morris is a former television writer who now works in digital media. When not writing, you can find him scoping out the latest sushi spot, watching 'House Hunters Renovation', or trying new recipes in the kitchen. He lives with his wife and dog in Los Angeles.

Readers, if you enjoyed one of my books, please feel free to leave a review!

To learn more about James Morris  and his books, visit his website.You can also find him on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Teaser Tuesday! Feel Me Fall by James Morris

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker. 

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share  doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week is from Feel Me Fall by James Morris

The counselor didn’t help, either. She told me not to feel guilty. Survivor’s guilt, she called it. She warned I could expect to be angry and sad. I could expect to be confused. I wanted to tell her I was angry and sad and confused long before I got onto that plane.

Secrets and survival in the Amazon

Emily Duran is the sole survivor of a plane crash that left her and her teenage friends stranded and alone in the jungles of the Amazon. Lost and losing hope, they struggle against the elements, and each other. With their familiar pecking order no longer in place, a new order emerges, filled with power struggles, betrayals, secrets and lies. Emily must explain why she's the last left alive.

But can she carry the burden of the past?

Discover the gripping new adventure novel that explores who we are when no one is watching, and how far we'll go in order to survive.

Do you have a blog? Post a link to your Teaser Tuesday post in the comments.

No blog? Post a Teaser in the comments anyway!