Want Books: Sugar Rush

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

I heard about the Cupcake Club series by Donna Kauffman through Laura Florand. I saw in one of her updates that she was excited to get a copy of the latest book in the series. I immediately looked up the premise for the first book, Sugar Rush, and decided that it looks like a fun contemporary romance, focusing on delicious desserts, much like Laura’s own novels. Also, check out that cute cover filled with all kinds of cupcakes. They look yummy! I’m a huge fan of cupcakes so that’s another reason why I want to read this one.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

When baker extraordinaire Leilani Trusdale left the bustle of New York City for Georgia’s sleepy Sugarberry Island, she didn’t expect her past to follow. Yet suddenly, her former boss, Baxter Dunne, aka Chef Hot Cakes, the man who taught her everything pastry, wants to film his hit cooking show in her tiny cupcakery. The same Chef Hot Cakes whose molten chocolate-brown eyes and sexy British accent made Lani’s mouth water and her cheeks blush the color of raspberry filling – stirring all kinds of kitchen gossip, much of which Lani wished was true…

Lani’s friends are convinced that this time around, Baxter is the missing ingredient in her recipe for happiness. But convincing Lani will be a job for Baxter himself. And he’ll need more than black velvet frosting to sweeten the deal…

Looks like there are currently four books in the series right now and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll enjoy reading all of them. What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist? Any books that you’re curious about because it was recommended by a favorite author? Just for fun, what’s your favorite cupcake flavor? Mine are red velvet and earl grey.

Red velvet from 12 Cupcakes, my favorite cupcake store in Singapore

Want Books: Down London Road

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

It usually only takes one overwhelmingly positive review from a trusted book blogger to convince me to read a book. And I’m a sucker for Angie’s bibliocrack recommendations. After all, that’s how I discovered some of my favorite contemporary romance authors like Julie James, Jennifer Crusie and Sarra Manning. So when Angie reviewed Down London Road by Samantha Young, it went straight to my wishlist. Fellow YAcker Laura created a button that’s applicable for situations like this:

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Johanna Walker knows what she wants. And that’s a strong, steady, financially secure man who will treat her well and look after her and her little brother, Cole – something her parents have never done.

But when she meets the gorgeous Cameron MacCabe, a new bartender at work, Jo can’t deny the instant and undeniable attraction she feels. Cam doesn’t fit into her strict specifications of her perfect partner at all – but for once she is tempted to let her heart rule her head.

And as their intense connection grows, Jo has to stop hiding the truth about herself and her family. Is Cam prepared to accept Jo for who she really is? And is Jo willing to let someone into her life for keeps?

The premise reminds me a little of Unsticky by Sarra Manning and I could totally relate to wanting to find a steady and financially secure man – that’s just practical, right?

What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist? Hope you’re all having a lovely weekend so far.

Want Books: Girl Defective

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

I just finished reading a lovely Aussie YA novel, All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield, and it left me craving for more beautifully written books from the land down under. I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about Girl Defective by Simmone Howell so I’m really curious about it. I haven’t had a chance to read any of Simmone Howell’s novels and this seems like a good one to start with. I like the idea of inverse superheroes and that this book seems to be about family and friendship, two of the things I enjoy reading about.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

We, the Martin family, were like inverse superheroes, marked by our defects. Dad was addicted to beer and bootlegs. Gully had “social difficulties” that manifested in his wearing a pig snout mask 24-7. I was surface clean but underneath a weird hormonal stew was simmering…

It’s summer in St Kilda. Fifteen-year-old Sky is looking forward to great records and nefarious activities with Nancy, her older, wilder friend. Her brother – Super Agent Gully – is on a mission to unmask the degenerate who bricked the shop window. Bill the Patriarch seems content to drink while the shop slides into bankruptcy. A poster of a mysterious girl and her connection to Luke, the tragi-hot new employee sends Sky on an exploration into the dark heart of the suburb. Love is strange. Family Rules. In between there are teenage messes, rock star spawn, violent fangirls, creepy old guys and accidents waiting to happen. If the world truly is going to hell in a hand-basket then at least the soundtrack is kicking. Sky Martin is Girl Defective: funny, real and dark at the edges.

I have a feeling I’d go bankrupt if I ever get to visit Australia because I’d want to buy as many books as I can. What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist?

Want Books: Going Vintage

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

I saw Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt in several posts for Top Ten Tuesday’s topic for this week: light and fun reads. I looked up the premise and it does seem like a contemporary YA novel that I’d enjoy reading. Plus, I really like the UK edition pictured below – the old school feel of the picture goes with the title and premise.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Mallory loves her boyfriend, Jeremy. Or at least likes him more than she’s ever liked any other boy. She’s sure he feels the same way. Until she happens upon his online Authentic Life game and discovers he’s cheating on her …online Mallory’s life is falling apart and technology is the cause. And then she finds a list, written by her grandma when she was Mallory’s age. All her grandma had to worry about was sewing dresses and planning dinner parties. Things were so much simpler in the 1960s. And there’s nothing on the list that Mallory couldn’t do herself. Maybe it’s time for Mallory to go vintage and find the answers to her modern-day problems.

I’m really curious how Mallory will go about giving up technology in her life. It’s funny because as much as I love social media and the convenience of technology, I still appreciate certain things that can be considered vintage nowadays, such as postcards and film cameras.

What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist? Is there a particular title that has caught your eye recently?

Want Books: Paper Chains and Free-Falling

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

Here I go again featuring Aussie books that aren’t readily available where I’m based. I’ve seen rave reviews from Aussie book bloggers about Nicola Moriarty’s books so I’ve been curious ever since I found out about them. It’s a little frustrating that these books are only available in Australia or online through Fishpond (which I still haven’t tried because I’ve heard that the customer service isn’t that great). I have a feeling that if I ever visit the land down under, I’d probably go bankrupt buying books. I’ve read books written by Nicola’s sisters, Liane and Jaclyn so I’m really interested in trying another Moriarty author. These women’s parents must have given them writer vitamins or something while they were growing up. How awesome is it to have three published authors in the family?

Here’s the summary of Paper Chains from Goodreads:

Hannah and India are new best friends. Although true friendship means always telling each other the truth, doesn’t it…?

Hannah, you see, is running from her life back in Sydney. Now in London, she’s trying to put the past behind her, and finding this amazing new friend is a positive step forward. If only she could stop punishing herself for what she did.

India knows Hannah is hiding something big, and she’s determined to figure it out. Fast.

Because India has a secret of her own… One that is currently sealed in a love letter that’s making its journey across Europe in the most unconventional way.

Before it reaches its destination, can India help Hannah learn to forgive herself? And will Hannah wake up and realise that India needs rescuing too…?

Here’s the summary of Free-Falling from Goodreads:

Belinda’s life is in free-fall after the sudden death of her fiancé Andy. But then ghostly signs begin to appear which suggest he might not really be gone. And Belinda begins to tumble even further – until she finds his final parting gift. But will it be enough to save her?

Evelyn McGavin, Andy’s mum, is also struggling in her bereavement. She copes with her sorrow by shoplifting (once), hating Belinda (constantly) and jumping out of a plane. In her skydiving instructor, Baz, she finds an unexpected friend. But why is he so agitated when he hears how Andy died?

Two women, united in their loss, separated by their sorrow. And yet still linked in a most unexpected way…

If you’ve been lucky enough to read these two books, please feel free to let me know what you thought of them. How about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist?

Want Books: Blame it on Paris

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

The other day, I featured the two Laura Florand books that I have on a Shoot That Book post. I’ve finished reading The Chocolate Thief since then and I just started on The Chocolate Kiss. I now want ALL of Laura Florand’s other novels and novellas. This is the second week that I’ve talked about wanting the rest of an author’s back list after enjoying one of her books. I dropped by two bookstores yesterday because they were having sales but unfortunately, this wasn’t available. I didn’t end up getting anything because the books were still expensive even with discounts.

Here’s the summary of Blame it on Paris from Goodreads:

Laura has spent most of her adult life avoiding serious relationships, flitting around the world, and keeping her romantic expectations comfortably low. The last thing she wants is to have her globe-trotting ways curtailed by a messy emotional entanglement. As far as she’s concerned, chocolate is just as satisfying as true love–and a lot less complicated.

So how, in the name of all that is romantic, has she managed to get involved with a dangerously charming Frenchman named Sébastien? And only weeks before she’s scheduled to leave Paris for good?
Everyone knows that Frenchmen are chain-smoking, manic-depressive, faithless, male chauvinistic, perfectionist snobs. What’s worse, they live in France.

The cultural differences alone are enough to kill any relationship, even if Laura wanted one. She’s from small-town Georgia. He’s a sophisticated Parisian. They go together like grits and escargot.

But Sébastien isn’t just any Frenchman. He’s a gorgeous, sweet, sexy, graphic artist who seems to find Laura adorable for reasons she can’t begin to comprehend. As the days slip by, she’s finding it harder and harder to say adieu.
Unless she comes to her senses soon, she could end up ruining her life with a beautiful romance…

I’m also interested in Laura Florand’s novella, Turning Up the Heat:

And I also want the Kiss the Bride anthology just because Laura has a novella in it:

I hope I find the time to write down a review for The Chocolate Thief soon. What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist?

Want Books: Peaches

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

I just finished reading the YAckers book for this month, Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson. It’s such a lovely novel and I’m looking forward to YAcking it. Anyway, I enjoyed my first taste of Jodi Lynn Anderson’s writing so much that I now want to read her other books. Peaches is a contemporary YA novel and the first in a trilogy. The next time I visit the library, I’ll look for a copy of this.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Peaches combines three unforgettable heroines who have nothing in common but the troubles that have gotten them sentenced to a summer of peach picking at a Georgia orchard.

Leeda is a debutante dating wrong-side-of-the-tracks Rex.

Murphy, the wildest girl in Bridgewater, likes whichever side Rex is on.

Birdie is a dreamer whose passion for Girl Scout cookies is matched only by her love for a boy named Enrico.

I checked in Goodreads and I didn’t see any reviews about this book from my blog friends so I would be grateful if you’ve read this and you could let me know what you think of it. I’m hoping it will be just as good as Tiger Lily. What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist? Do you become curious about an author’s other novels when you finish one of his or her books and you end up liking it?

Want Books: A Corner of White

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

I enjoyed reading Jaclyn Moriarty’s epistolary young adult novels so I was immediately curious when I first heard about her latest novel, A Corner of White. It has such an intriguing premise, it looks like fantasy mixed with contemporary because it’s set in two worlds. It reminds me a little of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, which is one of my favorite fantasy trilogies. I believe A Corner of White was released in Australia late last year (lucky Aussies) but I haven’t been able to find a way to get it. I think a US edition will be released in April so it might be easier for me to grab a copy then.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Madeleine Tully lives in Cambridge, England, the World – a city of spires, Isaac Newton and Auntie’s Tea Shop.

Elliot Baranski lives in Bonfire, the Farms, the Kingdom of Cello – where seasons roam, the Butterfly Child sleeps in a glass jar, and bells warn of attacks from dangerous Colours.

They are worlds apart – until a crack opens up between them; a corner of white – the slim seam of a letter.

A mesmerising story of two worlds; the cracks between them, the science that binds them and the colours that infuse them.

Looks interesting, right? What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist?

Want Books: Out of the Easy

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

Three fellow YAckers recently reviewed Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys: Holly, Heidi and Melissa. It looks like this is a book that I should read sooner rather than later. I’ve seen rave reviews for Ruta Sepetys’ Between Shades of Gray but I’ve put it off for now because I feel like I have to prepare myself before I could read novels set during times of war. Out of the Easy looks like it’s also an emotionally heavy historical fiction but I feel like it would be easier to get into than Between Shades of Gray. I was thinking it would be a good idea to get introduced to Ruta Sepetys through this book. It was just released on the 12th so it’s not yet available in bookstores or the library over here.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.

Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist?

Want Books: The Reece Malcolm List

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

I’ve been in the mood for good contemporary YA recently and I’ve been hearing good things about The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding on Twitter. I haven’t seen a lot of reviews about it but I’m really curious just based on those tweets and the premise. If I had a copy of this now, I’d start reading it tonight. Unfortunately, I checked the library catalogue and it doesn’t look like they’ll be ordering copies of this one. It was only released a few days ago so probably still not available in bookstores here. Will try to look for a copy if I manage to drop by a bookstore this weekend.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Things I know about Reece Malcolm:

1. She graduated from New York University.
2. She lives in or near Los Angeles.
3. Since her first novel was released, she’s been on the New York Times bestseller list every week.
4. She likes strong coffee and bourbon.
5. She’s my mother.

Devan knows very little about Reece Malcolm, until the day her father dies and she’s shipped off to live with the mother she’s never met. All she has is a list of notebook entries that doesn’t add up to much.

L.A. offers a whole new world to Devan—a performing arts school allows her to pursue her passion for show choir and musicals, a new circle of friends helps to draw her out of her shell, and an intriguing boy opens up possibilities for her first love.

But then the Reece Malcolm list gets a surprising new entry. Now that Devan is so close to having it all, can she handle the possibility of losing everything?

Looks interesting, right? Let me know what you think of this if you’ve had a chance to read it. And what book is at the top of your wishlist now?