Tag: romance

Oh What The HIATUS

Olivia ChanelLeave a comment

41rpectkimlHi readers! I have a little personal update for you. I think maybe some of you have noticed my absence from the blog lately. Life has been hectic, on a lot of fronts. The creative writing class I’m currently taking is a lot of work and I’ve also had one of the worst reading slumps ever. However, I’m slowly starting to feel better, managing time better and also yesterday I started the book Prep and Prejudice that I am falling in love with (bye-bye reading slump). With all of the positive energy I’m currently feeling I believe I’ll soon, though slowly, get back into the whole blogging thing. I still might make fewer posts than I did over the summer, but hopefully you’ll enjoy it nevertheless.

However, before I go, I really do have to tell you all about Prep and Prejudice by Miren B. Flores. It’s a book that takes places in the Philippines, and has a bit of Gossip Girl vibe going on. It’s about a group of rich kids, and one girl, Andrea, who is not rich but has through life ended up in their company anyway. It totally got that enemies to lover thing going on, and I love the angst. I definitely recommend it guys, so much swoon! You can add it on Goodreads, and buy it on Amazon (it’s only 99c, what are you waiting for??).

Are you guys reading a good book at the moment? Which one?

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The Melody of You and Me Blog Tour: Review + Playlist

Olivia Chanel1 Comment

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Hi, readers! Today I have a post for Rich in Variety‘s blog tour for The Melody of You and Me by M. Hollis. I have been following the author, Maria, for a while now on Twitter and when I saw that you could sign up to be a part of this blog tour, I just knew I had to do it. When I first read the synopsis for The Melody of You and Me I thought this book sounded great and now that I have read it, I can tell you this. I was wrong, it was better than great, it was amazing! You can read my review below and also see a playlist for this book.

About the Book

Author: M. Hollis
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: September 29, 2016
Genre(s): New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT+
Page Number: 82

After dropping out of university and breaking up with her girlfriend of three years, Chris Morrison’s life is now a mind-numbing mess. She doubts that working at the small neighborhood bookstore is going to change that. The rest of her time is spent mostly playing guitar and ignoring the many messages her mother keeps sending her about going back to college.

But one day, an adorable and charming new bookseller waltzes her way into Chris’s life. Josie Navarro is sweet, flirty, and she always has a new book in her hands. The two girls start a fast friendship that, for Chris, holds the promise of something more. But is she reading too much into this or is it possible that Josie feels the same way?

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I can’t imagine a universe where The Melody of You and Me doesn’t get all the 5 planets (or as mundane people call it, stars) in the world, just for being absolutely fantastic. This story blew me away, in the best way possible. It’s funny, it’s cute and it explores so many topics that so many people just like to ignore instead of face head-on. The Melody of You and Me is about two girls, Chris and Josie, who fall in love over time spent working together in a bookstore. Their story will make your heart swell with love and will have you flailing in your bed, making weird facial expressions, from fangirling over how amazingly cute it is. Don’t doubt this for a single second, that’s just the way it is.

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Welcome To Olivia Chanel’s Book Café

Olivia Chanel3 Comments

Welcome back my fellow readers, pedestrians, and foodies!

For those of you who don’t remember, a while back my book restaurant Olivia Chanel’s Book Restaurant opened, where depending on what you were in the mood to eat got a few book recommendations. Since the restaurant went so well, the company has decided to expand and Olivia Chanel’s Book Café was born.

The first week of September has just passed, fall is slowly but steadily approaching, and with that comes colder weather and warm sweaters. Otherwise also called sweater weather. With this comes the need to sit down somewhere warm, such as a café, and grab a piece of cake and something to drink. Is it a cup of coffee you’re looking for or perhaps a calming tea, we have a lot you can choose from. If you’re feeling a little bit hungry, take a sandwich or a salad but if it’s something sweet and yummy you want then look no further. We serve donuts, pastries, and even cakes.

We at Olivia Chanel’s Book Café have everything you could dream of, take a sit and look at our menu before you order. Is a bite of romance or maybe a sip of thriller something you want? Pick and choose from the menu below.

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The Hayley Kiyoko Book Tag

Olivia Chanel5 Comments

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Hi readers, and maybe a few music lovers as well!

Are you seeing what I’m seeing? I created a new book tag! This time it’s all about my favorite artist and singer Hayley Kiyoko. I’m not someone who usually loves all of an artist’s songs but Hayley is the exception, she’s amazing and a real blessing to us all. I’m currently listening to her newest single Gravel To Tempo, which was what made me want to create this tag. The idea is that you should choose a book or a character for the singles that Hayley Kiyoko has released. I’m tagging all of you and I really hope you’ll join me on this fun. Creating this Hayley Kiyoko Book Tag was just the best and I can’t wait to share my answers with you all.

More specifically I’m tagging,

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For Hayley Kiyoko’s song A Belle To Remember you’re supposed to pick a character you’ll always remember. For me that’s Daisy Calloway from the Addicted series by Krista and Becca Ritchie, her bright personality and kind soul is so inspiring. Daisy has never been heard, her voice always forgotten, but throughout the series you see her fighting to find her voice again. I love Daisy because she’s kind and makes everyone else smile even if she’s having a very hard time herself. Listen to A Belle To Remember here.

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For the song Rich Youth you’re supposed to choose a character that keeps on fighting despite the obstacles they’ve faced. For me that has to be Sophie Winters from Far From You by Tess Sharpe. She has been through a car accident, her own drug addiction that followed and the murder of her best friend Mina all while fighting for people to believe her about it. Despite all of this Sophie has always kept on going and never stopped fighting. Listen to Rich Youth here.

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For This Side of Paradise you’re supposed to pick a character with bad luck. I’m picking Jessica Bullock from Anything But Love by Abigail Strom. With her reinvention in high school she lost her best friend and later on in life got engaged to her closeted gay friend. However, as Jessica’s luck would have it, she’s left at the altar. When her old best friend comes back and agrees to go to the Bahamas with her, sparks fly and feelings develop but Jessica is yet again met with bad luck due to terrible timing. Though Jessica gets her happy ending, her luck worked against her. Listen to This Side of Paradise here.

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Hayley Kiyoko’s perhaps most famous song Girls Like Girls is just amazing and here the choice is simple, pick a book with a f/f ship. For me the choice is Riya and Courtney from Keeping Her Secret by Sarah Nicolas, a book that really surprised me by how amazing it is. Riya and Courtney used to be best friends before a secret kiss and Riya moved to another town. Later on they meet each other again at summer camp and old feelings return. It’s complicated, a little bit messy but oh so amazing. Listen to Girls Like Girls here.

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For Cliffs Edge you’re supposed to pick a ship that has had a lot of ups and downs. For me that has to be Kami and Jared from The Lynburn Legacy by Sarah Rees Brennan. Their relationship went from hot to cold all through the series, there was heartbreak, loss and somewhat of a love triangle too. Kami and Jared went through a lot, both together and with other people, but somehow in the end all the angst, plot twists and cliffhangers were worth it. If two people are meant to be, they’ll endure endless ups and downs until they both find the place they where need to be. That’s what happened with Kami and Jared. Listen to Cliffs Edge here.

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For Gravel To Tempo, Hayley Kiyoko’s newest single, you’re supposed to choose a female character who finally embraces who she is. Someone who realizes she can be herself without the approval of others. This fits perfectly for Victoria Dinham from We Awaken by Calista Lynne. She has never really been interested in sex, or kissing, and never really understood why. However, with the help of Ashlinn she begins to understand her asexuality and who she really is. I love how hopeful and amazing this story is, and how Victoria really grows to accept herself. Listen to Gravel To Tempo here.

That was it for my Hayley Kiyoko Book Tag! Will you be doing the tag on your blog too? If you don’t have a book blog, what would you have answered? Comment and let me know!

All the headers are made by me and you’re more than welcome to use them for your own blog post. Feel free to grab them and use them however you like!

Freebie Friday #7

Olivia Chanel4 Comments

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Hi guys! Don’t you just love Fridays? I know I do. I have a statistics exam tomorrow, on a Saturday yes, but I’m trying to stay calm and just think about all the books I can treat myself with afterwards. Maybe I’ll try one of the following books, they seem just great. This week the two free books I’m recommending are Let Me Be the One by Lily Foster and Six of Hearts by L.H. Cosway. Both are New Adult books about romance.

Remember guys, the books I recommend are free the moment I publish my post but I can never guarantee they’re free for long so once you see it, grab it! That’s what I do.

letmebetheone1Let Me Be the One by Lily Foster

Goodreads. Amazon.

Running away can be a good thing…

From the outside, Darcy Donovan’s life seems perfect. She’s beautiful, intelligent, popular and dating a guy who is every girl’s dream. But nothing that seems perfect ever really is. A year abroad is her escape—a chance to put some distance between them and also a chance to leave behind the shaken, insecure girl she has become.

Tom Farrell has been waiting in the wings, watching as his friend screws up a relationship with the one girl Tom considers out of his reach. An entire year passes with Tom making changes in his life; changes he hopes will make Darcy see that he’s the one worthy of her heart—that he should be the one.

Let Me Be the One is the first book in the Let Me series intended for readers 18 and older due to mature content. The Let Me series is a collection of stand-alone stories. There are no cliff-hangers but the books are inter-connected as characters are introduced that may feature in subsequent story lines. If you are a fan of Happily Ever Afters that come only after the characters struggle, stumble and sometimes fail…then you will laugh, cry, occasionally cringe, and ultimately fall in love right along with them.

sixofhearts1Six of Hearts by L.H. Cosway

Goodreads. Amazon.

Step right up and meet Jay Fields: Illusionist. Mentalist. Trickster.

I think in triangles. You think in straight lines. I show you a table and make you believe it’s a chair. Smoke and mirrors, sleight of hand, misdirection. I trick and deceive. But most of all, I put on a good show.

The world thinks I killed a man, but I didn’t. Bear with me. It’s all a part of the plan. Revenge is what I want. I want it for me and I want it for her. I want it for all six of us.

She doesn’t remember me, but she’s the reason for everything. She’ll be my prize at the end of all this–if I can hold onto my willpower, that is. Maybe I’ll slip up a little, have a taste, just a small one.

So go ahead and pick a card. Come inside and see the show. Look at my hands, look so closely that you can’t see what’s happening while you’re so focused on looking. I’ll be destroying your world from right here in the spotlight.

You’ll never see me coming until it’s too late. I’ve only got one heart, and after I’ve pulled off my grand deception I’ll hand it right to her. So, sit back, relax, and let my girl tell you our story. You’re in for one hell of a ride.

Top Ten Tuesday #3 Unread Books from Before I Started Blogging

Olivia Chanel4 Comments

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. If you want to read more about their blog feature and join the fun, you can do it here.

This week the theme for Top Ten Tuesday is Ten Books That Have Been On Your Shelf (Or TBR) From Before You Started Blogging That You STILL Haven’t Read Yet. Considering I just started blogging in April it shouldn’t be that hard to make this list since I have a bunch of unread books on my bookshelf at home. Down below are ten books on my bookshelf that I still haven’t read.

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1. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson. Add on Goodreads. Buy on Amazon.

2. Legend by Marie Lu. Add on Goodreads. Buy on Amazon.

3. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. Add on Goodreads. Buy on Amazon.

4. On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. Add on Goodreads. Buy on Amazon.

5. Young, Gifted and Dead by Lucy Carver. Add on Goodreads. Buy on Amazon.

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6. Run by Kody Keplinger. Add on Goodreads. Buy on Amazon.

7. The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen. Add on Goodreads. Buy on Amazon.

8. The Heir by Kiera Cass. Add on Goodreads. Buy on Amazon.

9. Abandon by Meg Cabot. Add on Goodreads. Buy on Amazon.

10. Towering by Alex Flinn. Add on Goodreads. Buy on Amazon.

What ten books did you pick this week? Do you have a lot of unread books from before you started blogging?

Freebie Friday #6

Olivia Chanel1 Comment

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Good morning, good day or good afternoon (depending on where you are) my fellow book lovers! Isn’t it just amazing that we are all over the world, connecting and talking to each other with one thing in common, books. I’m grateful to have found so many kindred spirits through my favorite books, and in many ways that’s the best part of being a reader.

We have another Friday on our hands *dances around with my books* and I of course have more free books to recommend to you guys. This lovely Friday is just getting better and better. This week the free books I’m recommending are Crush by S.R. Silcox and Melt With You by Addison Moore. These two are both young adult books and when I found them I was just delighted. The first book is a contemporary coming of age where we have girls liking girls. The second book is a young adult romance that takes place in the 80s which is just the coolest. Read more below.

Remember guys, the books I recommend are free the moment I publish my post but I can never guarantee they’re free for long so once you see it, grab it! That’s what I do.

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Crush by S.R. Silcox

Goodreads. Amazon.

Summertime in Chesterfield means two very different things for teenagers Tess Copeland and Maddie Lambert.

For Tess, spending time with family and anticipating the annual Crush Festival goes hand-in-hand with the country air and the sweet smell of a cane fire. For Maddie, Chesterfield offers an escape from the demands of a reality that she’s just unable to run from.

This summer, however, there is one lit fire that’s even harder to contain than the massive bonfires that characterise the town’s summer spectacle, as young love and awakened passions smoulder in the shadows.

Amidst the turmoil of growing up and the pressures of youth and fame, can these two young women navigate the precipices of adulthood unscathed? Will Maddie and Tess be able to overcome the secrets of a small town and save the beloved festival before it’s too late?

Find out in this touchingly sweet coming-of-age tale from SR Silcox–grab your copy today!

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Melt With You by Addison Moore

Goodreads. Amazon.

Junior year is really shaping up to be something. After three years of trying, I finally made the cheer squad. And on the last day of summer practice the demigod of Glen Heights High, Joel Effing Miller, finally notices me—right after he runs me over and lands my leg in a cast. Yeah, junior year is really shaping up to be something.

I swear I didn’t see her. But I’m making it up to her every way I can. I’m driving her to school, helping her to all of her classes. I’ve never met anyone so down to earth—a girl who actually likes the things I like. Melissa Malinowski is a breath of fresh air. I can’t stop thinking about her. I swear I didn’t see her, but I should have. Melissa is too beautiful to miss.

My name is Kelly Masterson, and nobody messes with me. I’m Joel Miller’s girlfriend. So Joel ran Mouse-akowski over with his truck. So what? He should’ve finished her off. And now he wants to break up? As if. Nobody breaks up with me. Joel is mine, and he’s going to stay that way. And after having a nice little chat with his mother, it’s become clear why he’s bending over backward to please that human speed bump. I’ll make sure Mouse-akowski understands this, too. That will be the end of Joel and his nerdy little plaything. My name is Kelly Masterson, and nobody messes with me.

Want to swim with Mermaids? Here are some Book Recommendations

Olivia Chanel10 Comments

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Hey readers! I have a new book recommendations post and this one is all about mermaids and the ocean. I don’t know why but there’s just something I love so damn much about mermaids, I mean magical swimming girls that rule the ocean (let’s ignore mermen okay, who even needs them anyway right?) are just so damn badass and lovely. Would I give my legs up in order to become a beautiful mermaid? Yes yes yes. I just have to make my kindle waterproof, I’ll let scientists take care of that, so I can still read books because life is just not complete without them.

However, being a mermaid is still not possible (magical mermaids please appear and transform me now, I really want to swim with dolphins) so in the meanwhile, I’ll just have to read books about them instead.

Truth is, I don’t think I have ever read a book where mermaids are the main theme of the book. That feels so weird considering I actually love them. That’s why I went out on a scavenger hunt to find some young adult books about mermaids. Down below is the list of the seven books about and/or with mermaids that I found. The titles are linked to Goodreads.

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Ten Things I Hate About You: Book Edition

Olivia Chanel1 Comment

“I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when you’re not around, and the fact that you didn’t call. But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.”

Love and hate, both such strong emotions, so strongly intertwined. We love to love, we love to hate, hate to love and hate to hate. It goes for people, material things, and of course books. There are so many books we love, so many books we hate, but then there are those we love to hate and hate to love. They are complicated, messy and we are not sure if what we feel for them is just that, love or hate.

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Books have a way of making you go completely wild with emotions, they take over your mind, and as a result make you feel like you no idea how or what to feel. Do I love this? Or do I hate it? It’s probably a bit of both right? Sometimes this is exactly what I think while reading, it’s a mess. I have a few books that make me feel like this, or well ten to be exact. Here is a list of ten books I have a love/hate relationship with:

  1. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
  2. Friends vs. Family by C.L. Stone
  3. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
  4. The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines
  5. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
  6. Coming in from the Cold by Sarina Bowen
  7. Heir of Fire by Sarah J Mass
  8. The Death Cure by James Dashner
  9. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
  10. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

These books are all different in how they make me feel. Some of these books are just books that just made me the dislike the series in general even though I really loved it before, whereas the others are books that just have a certain event that made me go “omg why did you do this, what is this, go back” but that I still love despite that. It’s all just a mess of strong and weird feelings that you make go bratwurst (what??).

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To end things I just want to say, we are all going to have different books that we love and that we hate. Certain books we love might still have aspects that we’re not able to stand. After all, we’re all different people with different taste.

This post is supposed to be a fun discussion post about the complexity of feelings we can have for books. However, if a book is problematic and hurtful then it’s our duty to say so and warn our peers. No one should ever have to read a book with bad representation.

Other than that, I do think love/hate relationships with books are good. They fuel discussion and make us have to think a bit more about our emotions. Also hating something in a book doesn’t mean you actually hate the book itself, which is something we should all remember.

Do you have a love/hate relationship with a book? If yes, which one?

Freebie Friday #5

Olivia Chanel1 Comment

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Ladies and gentlemen, and everyone else too, in case you hadn’t noticed (which seems impossible) we have another Friday on our hands *drumroll* and I have more free books to recommend. This is my fifth Freebie Friday, and if you’ve missed one of my previous ones you can check them out here. If you’re lucky some of the books are still free!

This week for Freebie Friday I have two young adult books for a change and I’m really excited about that. They’re quite different but lovely, we have Holding On by Rachael Brownell which seems cute, a tad bit sporty and has two guys the girl is torn between. The other book is Introductions by C.L. Stone which is about a girl from a troubled home who finds comfort in a group of boys that has secrets she can never know. Holding On I haven’t read yet, but am dying to, whereas Introductions is actually one of my most fascinating reads from last year. Read their synopses below.

Remember guys, the books I recommend are free the moment I publish my post but I can never guarantee they’re free for long so once you see it, grab it! That’s what I do.

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Holding On by Rachael Brownell

Goodreads. Amazon.

For five years Becca has been struggling to hide her feelings for her best friend, Brad. Now she finally has a chance to move on. She’s in a new city, she’s attending a new school, and she’s met the first guy besides Brad who’s held her attention in a long time. Not only is Ethan attractive, he’s an amazing tennis player, and he might just be Becca’s match on and off the courts.

Brad has loved Becca for as long as he can remember. Now that Becca’s family has moved two thousand miles away, Brad may finally be ready to lay his heart on the line and do whatever it takes to hold on to Becca.

But is Brad too late? Or will Ethan’s secret drive Becca back into Brad’s arms? Torn between her love for Brad and the promise of something new and exciting with Ethan, Becca has an almost impossible choice to make, the choice between letting go or holding on.

introductions1Introductions by C. L. Stone

Goodreads. Amazon.

With an agoraphobic mother and a barely-there father, Sang abhors the isolation keeping her in the shadows. The only thing Sang craves is a fresh start and to be accepted as ordinary by her peers, because for her being different meant being cast out alone.

When her family moves to a new school district, Sang infiltrates a group of boys nearly perfect in every way. Grateful for an influence outside of her parents’ negativity, she quickly bonds with the boys, hoping to blend in and learn from them what it means to have a natural relationship with friends.

Only the boys have secrets of their own and they’ll do anything to keep her safe from the knowledge of the mysterious Academy that they’ve sworn allegiance to. Bit by bit, Sang discovers that her friends are far from the normalcy she expected. Will her loyalty change when she’s forced to remain in the dark, or will she accept that she’s traded one house of secrets for another?

Meet Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North in a story about differences and loyalty, truth and mystery, friendships and heart-throbbing intimacy.

The Academy, ever vigilant.