This is how it's done people! A couple of days ago I did a review for Katie McGarry's first book, Pushing the Limits, where I gushed about how much I loved it. Now, that I've finished the second book in the series, Dare You To, I can't decide which one I love more! I have a suspicious feeling that the Pushing the Limits series by McGarry will become a new favorite when it comes to contemporary/romance, because it's just that good.

Dare You To picks up from Beth in the first book and introduces a new character, Ryan. From Pushing the Limits you know a little bit about Beth; from her dark hair, grungy look and dirty mouth she doesn't have an easy time making friends or staying out of trouble. In this second installment we learn more about Beth's past life, getting to see from her point of view how tough it has been these last couple of years when your father abandons you and your mother is an alcoholic with a dead beat boyfriend. What Beth needs in her life is stability and love, things that she's never really had. When her Uncle Scott comes out of nowhere and gains custody over her, she might actually have a chance to regain back all these things and get a fresh slate at life. Ryan is the typical baseball jock, who lives and breathes the sport. His life is consumed by the game so that he can ultimately graduate high school and go pro. From the outside, you wouldn't be able to tell that anything is wrong in Ryan's life- he's perfect- but stepping into his life for a day you would be able to see all the cracks surrounding his mother, his strict and overbearing father and his brother who has stopped talking to the family. When Uncle Scott comes back into town with Beth in tow, he asks Ryan for his help to befriend her and show her around. Little does Scott know that they've encountered each other before all based around a bet that Ryan and his friends made regarding Beth. But maybe that dare will be the one to save them both.

If I hadn't mentioned this before I get 90% of my books from the library. Seeing as I'm a college student, buying books doesn't come cheap to me. During the summer I had the leisure to go to my local library branches and check out books, but going back to school made it more difficult for me to do this. Luckily, my county offers an online eBook system where I have been able to read the majority of books this year.

I've never been a huge advocate of eBooks or been interested in the digital media of reading, having always preferred a physical book, but I have been converted! Not entirely, but it's extremely convenient to read eBooks when you can't get to a library/bookstore, when you're a college student low on money, or when you're on the move and constantly use your iPad or computer. I'm so thankful for this service, because if it wasn't for this I wouldn't have been to able to immerse myself in so many new wonderful stories and worlds. 

I said I wanted to read more fantasy and I'm trying to keep my promise! I picked up Graceling by Kristin Cashore last week and I managed to finish it today. It took me a while because I found myself letting it go, but once I sat down and really got into it, it was a breeze to get through!

Taken directly from my Goodreads Review, Graceling follows Katsa, whose Grace is identified to be of killing from a young age. She is "graced" with deathly skills to kill, including stronger than average strength, speed, agility, and an ability to easily master sword fighting, archery, and wrestling. Having discovered her Grace through a tragedy at a young age, she is feared and avoided by many in court, including her uncle, King Randa. "Luckily," instead of leaving her in isolation, the King decides to put Katsa's Grace into good use and makes of her his own personal warrior, sending her off to punish lords or citizens of his land that have tried to steal from him, or commit any other fault against his rule. You would think this would make Katsa some merciful vigilante, but on the contrary, King Randa uses her power to punish those for very menial things and is described as a bully. Having always to restrain her strength and Grace from others, it isn't until she encounters another skilled Graced warrior, Po, the youngest of seven princes from the Lienid kingdom, that she's able to let her guard down and possibly make a new friend who understands what it's like to hide a big piece of yourself. But getting intertwined with Po further prompts Katsa to question herself and her Grace, making her realize if abiding by her uncle's rule after so many years is the correct thing after all.

I went a little ghost, I know, but school just caught up to me and you know it gets- BUSY! With a lot of my tests out of the way though I hope to catch up on my reading and be able to read more this month! I am especially making it a goal to read more fantasy-based books since I have a pile on my TBR full of the genre, I need to make a dent on it. Since yesterday there was no school, because of Veteran's Day, I took the day to relax and catch up on things around the house, and of course to read ;) I picked up Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry on a whim, and I finished it the same day. It was so good, I highly recommend it if you're looking for a contemporary/romance book that just melts you and pulls at your heartstrings in all the right places. I cried, I laughed, I cry-laughed, it was amazing!