Did I Mention I Need You? by Estelle Maskame

It's been a year since eighteen-year-old Eden Munro last saw Tyler Bruce: her stepbrother… and her secret love. Although they called time on their forbidden relationship for the sake of their family, Eden can't help but feel excited when Tyler invites her to join him in New York City for the summer.

Anyway, Eden is happy with her boyfriend Dean, and surely Tyler has moved on too. But as they spend a long, hot summer in the excitement of the city that never sleeps, it soon becomes obvious that they aren't over each other. But can they resist temptation?

In Did I Mention I Need You?, the second volume of Estelle Maskame's phenomenal DIMILY trilogy, Tyler and Eden must face up to their feelings and decide what to do next. Is their love strong enough to face the challenges that lie ahead?

I started this almost as soon as I finished the first book. Its been just over a year since Eden last saw Tyler, and it's been 18 months since they decided to give each other space. But Eden has been invited to spend 6 weeks with Tyler in New York. Never mind that they are step-siblings, never mind that Eden has a boyfriend, as soon as they see each other again all their feelings come rushing back.

New York was an amazing setting; the city was alive with people and more importantly, no one who knew them and their history. It allowed them to indulge in some PDA and an almost-real relationship. The mild panic of being found out is still there but they are both older and Eden especially now fully understands her feelings towards Tyler aren't just going to go away. As they grew closer after so long apart, the chemistry is practically palpable and I was swept up in their city romance. But things come crashing down soon enough!

While in New York, they were visited by old friends and Dean, Eden's boyfriend, and Tyler's ex-girlfriend. Told you things were crashing! With them comes epic secrets,  blackmail and a few fights, a few of them physical. The whole story was an emotional roller coaster, ending in such a shocker, I had tears my eyes. 

Published 19th October 2015 by Black and White Publishing.

The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud

Lockwood & Co. might be the smallest (some might say shambollic) Psychic Detection Agency in London. But its three agents - Lockwood, Lucy and George - are exceptional Talents. And they get results. When an outbreak of ghostly phenomena grows to terrifying levels in Chelsea, Scotland Yard is left baffled.

Even more baffling is that Lockwood & Co appear to have been excluded from the huge team of Agents investigating the Chelsea Outbreak. Surely this is the perfect chance for them to show once and for all that they're actually the best in town? Well, that's if they can put aside their personal differences for long enough to march into action with their rapiers, salt and iron . . .

Book 3 in Lockwood and Co series, I absolutely loved seeing the gang again. In this instalment, the Problem is getting worse and Chelsea is seriously haunted. So bad in fact that the agencies are grabbing anyone and everyone they can to assist in the ghost hunting. 

The balance has been upset by a new addition: Holly. The boys of course are utterly smitten by her and her amazing organisation skills but Lucy is annoyed by her. Petty and childish yes, but completely normal for a teenage girl and I loved seeing this side to Lucy. She's so professional and good at her job, you forget how young they all are. And then of course there's the skull. Rude, annoying, likes to throw insults around and only be helpful about half the time, the skull is an unwilling member of the team with Lucy acting as interpreter. 

There was also some pretty impressive character growth; with some unwanted insight from the skull, Lucy is now confused about her feelings for Lockwood, Lockwood is starting to open up about his past and his family, and George is... well George! They've all been together long enough to have that group dynamic that Lucy didn't want changed but Holly does make them better and it takes Lucy a while to get over that. In fact, it takes a life-and-death moment with a dangerous poltergeist to get the two girls to open up.

I love this series so much, the characters are funny, the plot intertwines everything neatly so we see both character development and action sequences, and the ghosts are awesome. I can't wait to see what happens next, there was something of a shocking ending and I need to know how things work out!

Published 24th September 2015 by RHCP Digital.

Weekly Highlights: the 'Keep Calm and...' edition

Weekly Highlights is a feature borrowed from Faye of A Daydreamer's Thoughts, where I get to highlight my posts of the week, show you my new books and talk about bookish things!

Two things to say: I've got extra hours at work so I worked Friday and all weekend, which is great. Other thing: I flew through Carry On and it was amazing! I can't say how much I loved it - at a few parts near the end, I was both shaking it and hugging it!

On The Blog

Review of Hello, Goodbye and Everything In Between by Jennifer E Smith (4 stars)

Review of Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame (4.5 stars)

Currently Reading

At time of writing (Friday), I've just started Extraordinary Means, after loving Severed Heads, Broken Hearts. Next up will probably be Amy and Roger's Epic Detour.

On My Bookshelf

A Thousand Nights by E.K Johnston
Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to my village, looking for a wife. When Lo-Melkhiin - a formidable king - arrives at her desert home, she knows that he will take her beautiful sister for a wife. Desperate to save her sister from certain death, she makes the ultimate sacrifice - leaving home and family behind to live with a fearful man. But it seems that a strange magic flows between her and Lo-Melkhiin, and night after night, she survives. Finding power in storytelling, the words she speaks are given strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. But she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king ...if only she can stop her heart from falling for a monster.

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider
When he's sent to Latham House, a boarding school for sick teens, Lane thinks his life may as well be over.
But when he meets Sadie and her friends - a group of eccentric troublemakers - he realises that maybe getting sick is just the beginning. That illness doesn't have to define you, and that falling in love is its own cure.

Both of these are hand-me-downs from Sophie (of So Many Books, So Little Time), both of which I am super excited for so thank you Sophie!

Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame

When sixteen-year-old Eden Munro agrees to spend the summer with her estranged father in the beachfront city of Santa Monica, California, she has no idea what she’s letting herself in for. Eden's parents are divorced and have gone their separate ways, and now her father has a brand new family. For Eden, this means she's about to meet three new step-brothers. The eldest of the three is Tyler Bruce, a troubled teenager with a short temper and a huge ego. Complete polar opposites, Eden quickly finds herself thrust into a world full of new experiences as Tyler's group of friends take her under their wing. But the one thing she just can't understand is Tyler, and the more she presses to figure out the truth about him, the more she finds herself falling for the one person she shouldn't – her step-brother.

Throw in Tyler's clingy girlfriend and a guy who has his eyes set on Eden, and there's secrets, lies and a whole lot of drama. But how can Eden keep her feelings under control? And can she ever work out the truth about Tyler? 

Eden's estranged father has finally made contact, after abandoning her and her mother 3 years ago, and Eden has made the somewhat courageous decision to spend summer with him and his new family in LA. The only thing is, the new family is a bit different to what Eden expected: she now has to get used to suddenly having 3 teenage step-brothers. Brothers are bad enough, a 17 year old with anger issues? Talk about a handful!

Right from the off, Eden had to deal with some very complicated family dramas. Her dad is barely trying to get to know her, and Tyler is.. well, Tyler. Moody, stubborn, rude, not to mention drinking and doing drugs, Eden is annoyingly drawn to him. I loved this hyped-up tension; it wasn't sexual to begin with, just Eden attempting to unravel the enigma that is Tyler. They grow closer until they can't help but admit attraction. Even though Tyler is still being a jackass keeping secrets, there is something about him that Eden can't turn away from. Typical bad boy who wants fixing.

Living in another state bought other problems to Eden's door, like not knowing anyone, getting into glaring contests with Tyler's psycho girlfriend and playing nice with her new brothers and stepmother. The friends were one thing, from making new friends in the first place to finding out years of in-jokes and past relationships, but the family drama was balanced out too. Eden's dad never really proved his worth as far as I'm concerned but Ella and the two younger boys welcomed the new addition rather well. 

The awkwardness of falling for your new step-brother was dwarfed by Eden and Tyler's chemistry. The whole situation pretty much sucked but they complemented each other really well and I'm looking forward to seeing how their relationship progresses.

Published 1st December 2015 by Sourcebooks Fire. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hello, Goodbye and Everything In Between by Jennifer E Smith

One night. A life-changing decision. And a list...

Of course Clare made a list. She creates lists for everything. That's just how she is. But tonight is Clare and Aidan's last night before college and this list will decide their future, together or apart.

It takes them on a rollercoaster ride through their past - from the first hello in science class to the first conversation at a pizza joint, their first kiss at the beach and their first dance in a darkened gymnasium - all the way up to tonight.

A night of laughs, fresh hurts, last-minute kisses and an inevitable goodbye. But will it be goodbye forever or goodbye for now?

I have loved everything I've read of Smith's, they're all so fluffy and adorable but with real relationship problems. In her latest installment, we see Clare and Aidan struggle with the inevitable end of their relationship before they go off to college. 

The whole thing was bittersweet; Clare and Aidan have been dating for two years, they were a solid couple but college was pulling them to different corners of the country and logic dictated that they break up. Trouble is, logic doesn't have much of a place in relationships and things aren't as simple as just turning their love off. 

Clare has a list, a little nostalgic scavenger hunt for their last night together, but things quickly get out of control. I adored how Clare just wanted to keep their feelings from getting hurt, especially in such a difficult situation. Everything sucked, it was heartbreaking how hopeless it seemed, but Clare thought practically while Aidan was the romantic. I loved their relationship, they balanced each other out and had this relaxed chemistry of a couple in love. 

All through this, you thought you knew what was coming. To save future heartbreak, Clare wanted to break up as friends before they went away and got really paranoid. But Aidan wanted to prove they had way too much history to give up on each other. I loved how this portrayed real love and real problems of growing up. I especially adored the hopefulness of the ending and that Aidan was right: they were too good together to just give up entirely. 

Published 1st September 2015 by Headline. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Weekly Highlights: the 'November TBR' edition

Weekly Highlights is a feature borrowed from Faye of A Daydreamer's Thoughts, where I get to highlight my posts of the week, show you my new books and talk about bookish things!

Holy crap it's November! Christmas is nearly upon us! Well, maybe not quite but now it's acceptable to get excited about it! Anyway, life is a strange balance of a bit of work and a lot of lounging; I'm filling my week with reading, blogging and volunteering. Oh and before I forget: good luck to everyone starting NaNoWriMo today!

On The Blog

Review of The Winner's Curse and The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski (3/4 stars)

Review of Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (4 stars)
Review of Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray (4.5 stars)
Review of The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas (5 stars)

Currently Reading

Just finished DIMINY, which was pretty amazing. Next up is Severed Heads, Broken Hearts, which I am really looking forward to.

On My Bookshelf

Did I Mention I Need You? by Estelle Maskame
It's been a year since eighteen-year-old Eden Munro last saw Tyler Bruce: her stepbrother… and her secret love. Although they called time on their forbidden relationship for the sake of their family, Eden can't help but feel excited when Tyler invites her to join him in New York City for the summer.

Anyway, Eden is happy with her boyfriend Dean, and surely Tyler has moved on too. But as they spend a long, hot summer in the excitement of the city that never sleeps, it soon becomes obvious that they aren't over each other. But can they resist temptation?

In Did I Mention I Need You?, the second volume of Estelle Maskame's phenomenal DIMILY trilogy, Tyler and Eden must face up to their feelings and decide what to do next. Is their love strong enough to face the challenges that lie ahead?

I read the first book and immediately bought book 2, it was that good!

The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud

Lockwood & Co. might be the smallest (some might say shambollic) Psychic Detection Agency in London. But its three agents - Lockwood, Lucy and George - are exceptional Talents. And they get results. When an outbreak of ghostly phenomena grows to terrifying levels in Chelsea, Scotland Yard is left baffled.

Even more baffling is that Lockwood & Co appear to have been excluded from the huge team of Agents investigating the Chelsea Outbreak. Surely this is the perfect chance for them to show once and for all that they're actually the best in town? Well, that's if they can put aside their personal differences for long enough to march into action with their rapiers, salt and iron . . .

Book 3 in Lockwood and Co series, I've already read this and it was amazing! I adore this world so much and am already looking forward to book 4!

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road -- diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself. 

Just a little treat to myself, it was 99p on ebook, and I like Matson's writing.

November TBR

First up is Carry On, which I can't believe I haven't read yet but want to get to it asap! I've pre-ordered a copy of Winter which is due out on the 12th, and I also want All In, book 3 in The Naturals series, due out on the 3rd. 

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas

Celaena Sardothien owes her reputation to Arobynn Hamel. He gave her a home at the Assassins' Guild and taught her the skills she needed to survive.

Arobynn's enemies stretch far and wide - from Adarlan's rooftops and its filthy dens, to remote islands and hostile deserts. Celaena is duty-bound to hunt them down. But behind her assignments lies a dark truth that will seal her fate - and cut her heart in two forever...

Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine and find out how the legend begins in the five page-turning prequel novellas to the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series.

Bringing together all five short stories set before Throne of Glass, what I especially wanted and loved about this book was the insight into Celaena's background.

Celaena has always been a fascinating character but seeing where she came from, her relationship with Arobynn and the rest of the assassins, built up her character and also explained a lot of her actions in the main series. Especially her relationship with Sam; complex to say the least, the way things were handled and how they were perceived by Celaena made her who she is in the main books. It also completely broke my heart - I knew what was coming by the end but it didn't make it any easier to read!

The other big thing I noticed in these stories was Celaena's relationship with Arobynn; we've always known they were close, she idolised him and he literally saved her life. But seeing them in action, in conversation, before all the nastiness broke things between them, was unnerving. It was then that I was even more glad to know what happens to him in Queen of Shadows! 

Published 13th March 2014 by Bloomsbury Childrens Books.