In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It's a way to share the books that we've bought,borrowed,received for review etc. every week. I'll try to make it weekly but it might take me every two weeks.

Another amazing week, month & year! Thanks to all the wonderful people in my life, I have another big mailbox this week. :)










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That's mine, what about yours?

Welcome to the Happy New Year Giveaway Hop!

This hop is hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Babs Book Bistro.
There are hundreds of blogs participating this hop starts December 30th and and runs through January 3rd, midnight.

The Prize = $15 Worth of Books (International)

or

How to enter? Through the Rafflecopter Below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Click here to see the other blogs participating in the hop!

Mandy Baggot is a part of Love A Happy Ending. Visit her page by clicking here.

Excess All Areas by Mandy Baggot

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Freya had the worst birthday ever. She's on her way to meet her long-term boyfriend, Russel, for lunch but when she gets there, she overhears him asking the bartender - "I wonder if you've seen my girlfriend, I'm supposed to be meeting her here. She's a large girl, you know, with brown hair and glasses - sort of ordinary looking and probably wearing jeans."


Which girl would like to know that her boyfriend feels that way about her? Especially on her birthday? Obviously, it sucks. So in a state of distress, Freya takes off to a Greek island where her best friend Emma lives, hoping to drown her sorrows and heal. However, Freya didn't expect her friend's tiny Greek island to be invaded Nicholas Kaden, a hollywood superstar, who was shooting some scenes for his new film,along with the rest of cast. Despite Freya's initial hesitation and doubts, something grows between this ordinary girl and the Hollywood star.


This is a fun tale of unexpected romance. Freya is a strong, witty woman with a lot of spunk and you cannot help but admire her for it! She's stands up for her friends and what she believes in. While Freya and Nicholas don't seem like the ideal pair at first, they have a lot more in common than they (or others) realize. Their personalities, while different, balance each other out and you can't help but fall a little in love with Nicholas. Each comes into the relationship with their own past & baggage that no one knows about, they face a lot of hurdles along the way and not everyone is on their side but it all works out in the end.


A surprising, happy and thoroughly enjoyable read about finding love when you least expect it!





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Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Wow. Just, wow. I don't even know where to begin with this one. I'm a paranormal/fantasy freak. 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' had me utterly captivated from the first chapter! Laini Taylor has created a whole new world filled with action,adventure,stories and magic which honestly, I wanted to jump right into. Magical creatures, brilliant characters, gripping words and loads of suspense, that's what this book is made of! 'Daughter of Smoke & Bone' is 'the stuff of legends' (pun intended - kind of) . Just go out and get it! Mentioning the plot would be pointless. If you like fantasy and you have an imaginative mind, then this book is for you.

I don't know how the author's come up with some of the details, but those tiny things made this story amazing for me! Karou is a unique & special character and I love her! I cannot wait for the next one and thanks so much to my Secret Santa Nicole for gifting this to me! I owe you BIG! :)

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Sorry to post this guys but I really couldn't resist! My boyfriend ordered these for me. Isn't it sweet?

Following Polly by Karen Bergreen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It's been so long since I've wanted to give a Chick Lit five stars! If 'Following Polly' doesn't deserve the five stars, I don't know which one does!

Alice Teakle has issues. Sure, she's totally sane, but add a dysfunctional childhood to the picture, it's no surprise that she has developed a not-so-healthy obsession - Stalking.

Alice has recently lost her job for being honest and she's not worried. Probably because she's as fickle as they get but anyway, her mother sends her to therapy, hoping it'd do her some good. Things start looking good till the day Alice runs into Polly, her classmate from Harvard who had it all.

Alice's obsession returns.

Reading about Alice reminded me of an adult version of Mia Thermopolis (from the Princess Diaries) - she was funny, funny, funny! Karen Bergreen had me eating up every word and I was unable to remove my eyes from the pages! Amusing, entertaining and extremely humorous, Alice's priceless!

Humor, Mystery, Love - this book has it all! 'Following Polly' isn't emotional or serious, not really. It is however, a thoroughly enjoyable, light and delightful read! I don't know what more to say except that if you're a happy person who likes a unique character, just go out and get this. You will love it!

View all my reviews

Legend by Marie Lu

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Legend by Marie Lu is one of my favorite dystopian novels of 2011. Too bad I read it after I posted my 2011 picks on my blog.

Anyway, this novel takes place in a dystopian society that suffers from an epidemic caused by some kind of plague. There are two protagonists - June, a 15 year old girl wonder in-training to be a part of the military and Day, a wanted criminal notorious for causing trouble for the Government. These two lead completely different lives but due to random occurrences, their fates are intertwined.

I have to admit, I loved both of them! Seriously, who doesn't like a butt-kicking hero AND heroine? June & Day are both tough, independent characters with a rebellious streak in them and I love it! 'Legend' was almost as good as The Hunger Games for me - while it didn't match its awesomeness in plot, Legend made up for it with impressive characters.

I know Day's supposed to be 15 but I'm picturing him to be 22 and totally crushing on him.

There wasn't a dull moment in this book and it's surely a must read! My only problem with the plot (trying not to disclose spoilers) is that too much happened too soon. Marie Lu could've ended the novel way before she did and that would've made more of an impact. It could've also been a great start for book two! But I'm going to try to put my faith in the author - she knows what she's doing and I'm really really hoping the next book is 5 star worthy!

Fast-paced and full of action, Legend's definitely one of my favorites!

View all my reviews

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It's a way to share the books that we've bought,borrowed,received for review etc. every week. I'll try to make it weekly but it might take me every two weeks.

I got so many books this week, it's insane! So I'm not doing my usual thing where I post the synopsis along with the book. I'm adding just the covers, click on the images for a synopsis :) Thanks to everyone -Authors,Publishers,NetGalley,Friends & Families - for the most brilliant week of books ever! ❤
Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

















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That's my Mailbox this week, the last this year! Looking forward to checking out yours.