Free eRead-a-thon Goals!

The Free eRead-a-thon starts tomorrow!! Don't forget to sign up HERE and check out the schedule HERE. 

The goal of Free eRead-a-thon is to tackle those free downloads we all have on our Kindles, Nooks, Kobos, etc. I am joining because I have an overabundance of free e-books. I subscribe to BookBub and get emails daily about free and discounted e-books! My Kindle and Nook are bursting the seams! I encourage you to sign up tonight.

Plus I shared at CSA that I have a personal goal of reading 5 fiction books and 3 non-fiction books for the month of August. I know, this might shock some of you wonderful hardcore book bloggers; only 7 books?? That is just what I am aiming for. I know my limits well: I am a slow reader and August is going to be busier for me with trips and birthdays and weddings. 

I am hoping this read-a-thon will help me knock some ebooks out and get my personal goals accomplished. So here is a list of books I am aiming to read this week:
Desperate by Sarah Mae
Geoducks are for Lovers by Daisy Prescott
Tegan's Blood by L.H. Cosway
Awakening by Hallie Willmott
God Knows My Name by Beth Redman
Gifted by Liz Long




I know I will not finish all these books, but I want to have them listed just in case. I am also not sure of what order I will read them in so I wanted plenty of choice. As for the rest of the read-a-thon I am hoping to participate in at least two challenges and one Twitter party!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!

Innocence Book Review

Innocence (Shadow War Book One) by C. Nault and M. Findley
Visit the Shadow Wars webpage HERE
Goodreads summary: 

Rachel Flanagan was dead.

Dead the day she kissed her sexy Parkour instructor, Adam Black. Dead the moment she stumbled upon his darkest secret. And it was only the beginning of her troubles. Now, she finds herself a key player in a world of rival secret societies, trained assassins, ancient alien technology, and a shadow war that has spanned centuries.

Rachel Flanagan might be dead to the rest of the world, but as Rachel Munro, she lives on.

I received this book in a giveaway. The current price listed on Amazon is $3.95 (8/8/13)

My thoughts: 
Innocence was a refreshing read for me. Rachel Flanagan falls for her sexy parkour instructor (never read about parkour before!) Adam Black. Things go horribly wrong one night when the two are attacked in Adam's apartment. Rachel watches in horror as Adam ruthlessly kills the six intruders without breaking a sweat. Suddenly, she needs to decide to live hidden away by an organization simply called the Order for the rest of her life, or be killed for witnessing so much.

The story has a wonderful, slow, natural progression. I think I've been reading too many books that rush about willy nilly without explaining things well enough. While there does have to be an air of mystery for the reader to want to continue, things are explained well enough to easily comprehend when the truth is finally revealed.

The mystery, intrigue, and suspense were a perfect blend. The authors really did a smashing job of giving us a enough of a backstory for Adam without dragging it out or retelling it too often. We also got just the right amount of POV switching between Rachel, Adam, and even the 'villain' Mark.

There is a love story, but in Innocence it is natural and more apart of the background. Rachel and Adam were attracted to each other instantly, but not in a crazy I'd-die-without-you-even-though-we-met-yesterday kind of way. They also took several weeks before hanging out one on one *gasp!*.

I had two hangups with this novel:
1. language and adult situations. The adult situations were contained to the first few chapters and not entirely graphic. I do wonder how much of this will continue in the rest of the series.

2. This was the larger upset for me: for much of the middle of the novel, Rachel comes off as a bumbling, annoying idiot who frequently gets in Adam's way. Even though I know her reactions fit in with her tough situation, it made it really hard for me to want to identify with her, and ultimately, root for her. Adam was the 'true' MC for me and I loved reading his parts:: MORE ADAM! :)

Innocence was really the best 'smaller published' ebook I have read in a long time. It did contain very minor spelling and word errors, but nothing worth truly noting. The Shadow Wars is a newer book, so it doesn't have many reviews on Amazon or Goodreads yet. Still, I hope you consider my recommendation and give this one a shot. It may not have been something I would have picked up on my own, but I am so glad I got a chance to read it!! Five stars from me!! 

**Read an interview with the authors on Shelf Addiction**

Let me know if you read Innocence! I would love to know your thoughts!

Summer Roadtrip Giveaway Hop

So glad you stopped by today!

This is my first ever giveaway and I am super happy it is apart of a hop. I think giveaway hops are simply the best! So...

Welcome to the Summer Road Trip Giveaway Hop!

For my stop on the Summer Road Trip hop, I am offering the winner their choice of one of five fantastic summery travel books. Here are the choices:

   
























Rules:
US entries only
I am not responsible for the item once it has shipped
Winner will be notified here on the blog and by email.
Winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.
Must be 16 years or older to enter
Winners are selected at random by Rafflecopter
Entries will be validated. I reserve the right to disqualify any entrant. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY SUNRISE AVENUE! Please be sure to visit The Starry Eyed Revue for more of the giveaway hop!!

And All the Stars Review

And All The Stars by Andrea K Host
Goodreads summary:

Come for the apocalypse. Stay for cupcakes. Die for love. Madeleine Cost is working to become the youngest person ever to win the Archibald Prize for portraiture. Her elusive cousin Tyler is the perfect subject: androgynous, beautiful, and famous. All she needs to do is pin him down for the sittings. None of her plans factored in the Spires: featureless, impossible, spearing into the hearts of cities across the world - and spraying clouds of sparkling dust into the wind. Is it an alien invasion? Germ warfare? They are questions everyone on Earth would like answered, but Madeleine has a more immediate problem. At Ground Zero of the Sydney Spire, beneath the collapsed ruin of St James Station, she must make it to the surface before she can hope to find out if the world is ending.

I bought this book for free on my Kindle. Currently on Amazon is $4.88 (8/3/13)

My Thoughts:
This book could have a lot of potential..if put in another author's hands. Oops, harsh. But it is true. The plot and idea of the book were definitely intriguing. However, I couldn't relate to any of the characters.

We are thrown into the middle of a crazy situation with Madeleine, who is so detached and distant from her dangerous situation that I felt detached and distant from her. Not sure I know of anyone who would lie to their mother after being in a catastrophic accident. Or who would easily accept the presence of aliens without seeing a shred of evidence that what happened was anything other than a bombing. Eventually she stumbles into Noi and they become insta-friends, even though Madeleine professes she has never had a friend a day in her life. Beyond Noi, Madeleine quickly comes into possession of several insta-friends, who are all teens, who all appear to have no family to care for them (another great example of the non-existent parents phenomenon in YA lit), who all appear to be waaay too smart, and who all can, of course, save the world.

Then there is the love interest. I honestly didn't even know Fischer was on Madeleine's love radar until they were engaging in adult situations pretty much. I was really thinking this was going to be an awkward novel where Madeleine struggled with her inappropriate feelings for her cousin Tyler. Why? Because the author used more adoring descriptions and invoked more feelings in Madeleine for Tyler than Fischer. The whole book. There was some good love dialogue, but by then it felt forced and contrived by the author and not originating from the characters.

Lastly: I wonder why Madeleine was even the main character. Whenever there was major action, she would pass out, be drugged, or....pass out. The big climax was incredibly short lived and she...passed out. Again. She never added much to the conversation or decisions made by the group. Basically she was the most Blue person, was briefly wanted by the enemy, made love to a boy I didn't even know she liked that much, sketched a lot, passed out, snuggled her cousin, and then passed out. Oops. That's all probably a spoiler. I would have much preferred to have followed Noi or even Fischer!

Barely 1 star from me. Sorry author lady :( And while I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, apparently plenty of other people enjoyed this book. Make sure to read other Goodread reviews and decide for yourself.

If you do decide to read And All the Stars, come back and let me know your thoughts! 

What to do if I Don't Like My Current Book

Welcome to Sunrise Avenue!

Time for another Feature & Follow Friday! I love these! A chance to find great new book blogs?? Oh yeah! 

Please feel free to follow anyway you choose; I want you to pick a way that is comfortable and something you use daily. I often feel forced to follow via Bloglovin' when I prefer Feedly. I hope you lovely visitors don't feel that way while visiting here!

Also, please check out my Twitter (@sunrise_books) for an easy way to keep up with my blog postings and life! Thanks :)

Now, for this week's question: 

 How do you handle a book you don’t like? Do you DNF or do you power through?

I am torn on this topic. I always try to make sure I read more than just the first few pages. Sometimes books do start off badly, but then pick up carrying me through to a spectacular ending. If a book is still fighting for my attention and I couldn't care less about the plot, I DNF. Eep. I am finally admitting it, even to myself! Since starting my book blog though, I have more than enough books to be reading and there just isn't enough time in the world to waste on a bad book. 

BUT! Sometimes I do power through. Right now I am reading And All The Stars and I knew after the first three chapters that I wouldn't like it. That unless a miracle happened I wouldn't be rating it above a two. But the plot itself is interesting. In more talented hands, the book could have some great potential, especially since I just ran into a plot twist. So I am powering through, just for the sake of plot. Sigh. 

How about you?? DNF or power through?? Can't wait to read all your answers!