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Thursday 21 July 2011

Review

Where Dreams Begin by Lisa Kleypas  4 stars

This is just one example as to why I adore, worship, Lisa Kleypas. 
Page 8... Holly is a widow and she has attended a ball, and gone into a private room to catch her breath and escape all the people and their pitiful stares. In the dark she is suddenly captured by a dark shadow of a man. Oh and he kisses the life out of her, but just as things are really starting to cook up a frenzy, Kleypas drops this line in as this mystery man has just taken her in his arms and kissed her unexpectedly. "She jerked in startled reaction, amazed and horrified and abruptly furious... he had taken away George's last kiss"


That just kills me. 

Lisa gives her characters depth, even her dead ones. She doesn't skimp on the story, or the the relationship building. She never sets things up to simply fall together, she always puts some kind of obstacle in their way. It always believable and worthy.

Holly, a widow with a very young daughter, Rose. Zachary Bronson, very rich but doesn't have blue blood required to be accepted in the right social circles. He hires Holly to teach him and his sister Elizabeth. Holly wishing to be free of her controlling in-laws and desiring her independence accepts the position. 
Well the sexual tension just builds exponentially from the day she moves in.

Check out this little gem..



Well, well, well, if it isn't the secret p.o.r.n picture in the book... I love these!! 
Okay, its not quite what I pictured, but who cares.. They are about to get it on in the wildflowers!! That is a leg hitch, if I ever saw one!!!

Review

Goddess of Love by P.C. Cast   4 stars


I really enjoyed this, it was funny and light hearted, and Pea was a lovely character. I felt as though she had a similar personality to Bridget Jones, always managing to humiliate herself, but doesn't let it destroy her resolve. She was a strong grounded female, no ways a damsel. Venus is just the trick for her self confidence, like a fairy godmother. Who wouldn't want one of those??

It's a tried and tested story that still works in this lovely modern twist. Venus is summoned by Pea to help her find her inner goddess. And to help her win a man. Pea is infatuated with her neighbour the hunky, manly man of muscles and chief Fireman, Griffin. But Pea is not right for Griffin but, crushes are crushes, and this is what makes the story more interesting.

Venus the Goddess of love is married (platonically) to Vulcan the God of Fire and this guy is definitely someone you want warming your sheets... giggles!!
Venus has no problem with asking direct questions about peoples masturbating habits or sexual habits and it makes for some hilarious moments, but obviously, Venus is the Goddess of Sensual Love, Beauty and the Erotic Arts, so sex and love and pleasure are what she literally is, so she doesn't understand why people get all embarrassed.. Vulcan, the imperfect God of Olympus watches Venus with Pea and finds himself captivated by Pea... Interested peeked yet?? Pardon the pun, haha...

Sunday 17 July 2011

Review

A Christmas Scandal by Jane Goodger  2 stars



This book was not what I expected, it was worse!
Maggie Pierce the heroine, is portrayed as a lovely witty creature, who previously fell in love with Edward when their mutual friends' (Elizabeth and  Rand the Duke of Bellingham) marriage was arranged. Edward then leaves the country unexpectedly and Maggie is left quite hurt because she had fallen in love with Edward and he didn't even say goodbye. In the mean time her father has stolen and embezzled money from their friends (nice guy) and landed himself in jail. So, Maggie and her dimwitted mother Harriet, are destitute and don't want anyone to know until Maggie can secure herself a wealthy husband. She is invited to stay with Elizabeth whilst she is pregnant and keep her amused for over the Christmas (I guess christmas was in this book somewhere, it was lost amongst the waffle)

In comes Edward, back to see his friend Rand & Elizabeth with his sister, Amelia, in tow. This seems to be a good setup, obviously the story will now start to grow with some serious interaction between Maggie and Edward. But this isn't what happens. Instead, Maggie flirts openly with every man she can find, purposely and coldly in front of Edward. She knowingly setups up one man and pretends to want his advances, all the while repulsed by the mere thought of him kissing her, that and he is older than her father.
Edward and Maggie hardly have any interaction or conversation in this book. It's full of memories, inner turmoil about the past , which creates nothing new for the story to grow on and makes you wonder why the Author didn't write that book instead of this. Maggie flirts allot, coldly and purposely, which I think was awful, because it's obvious Edward loves her and it doesn't portray her as a very nice person. Furthermore, she lies herself into circles.

In the middle of all this, her mother is going round the twist, her friend is pregnant, Edward apparently asks Maggie and her mother to chaperone his sister Amelia. To which they fail miserably, they are too busy and interested in their own pursuits, to the point that Maggie doesn't even realise her mother hasn't been seen for hours and never even arrived at the party. Edwards sister is practically sleeping with some redneck texan Carson- who keeps trying to force her to have sex (I don't want to read about that) - and he doesn't even care, he lets him stay with them. When Maggie finally gets Edward she pushes him away and rejects him, then rejects everyone and leaves..

She ends up on a ship, that sinks, and the drama doesn't stop here folks. She heads back to New York with a gun to kill a man that wronged in the past regarding her Father and his imprisonment. But wait! Surviving the shipwreck has given Maggie an epiphany and after she visits her father she decides to just yell at the guy instead of shoot him. rolls eyes!!! Then comes back to England to try and get Edward back after she kicked him to the curb. Maggie's mother Harriet, with her big mouth, almost ruins everything. If it had been me, I would have flung mashed potato in the woman's face to shut her up!!

Then the Epilogue isn't about our two lovers, oh no, it's about Edwards sister, Amelia and her Texan beau, and how she has been waiting 6 months for a letter from him to ask her to marry him and to go to Texas, but she is so dense she still hasn't realised that they guy hasn't written for her because he doesn't want her to come.

This was all over the place, it goes from Maggie barely being able to stop herself from running and kissing Edward, to being a total bitch to him. The story was so messy, I couldn't even remember where people were. I felt the strong desire to throw the book down and give up, but forced myself to finish it, I am a glutton for punishment. It was the huge arms, they sucked me in!!

Sunday 3 July 2011

Review

Gone by Lisa McMann  3 stars


After 'Wake' and 'Fade' I was disappointed with 'Gone'. I was expecting something else, and it really felt like the epilogue to 'Fade'. That's essentially what it could have been.

The writing was great, everything was up to the standards of the last two, I just felt as though the Author wanted to wrap things up nicely, almost a 'happily ever after' with issues..

The idea of the 'no win' situation was good, that really there was no magical solution to her problems and that she could run or stay and fight hard. Her boyfriend Cabel can't deal with all the issues on hand but I think he is a bloody prince for at least trying and sticking it out. He has terrible nightmares which Janie is inadvertently sucked into and they display all the issues that he can't talk about. This creates a void between him and Janie and it grates on her that Cabel won't talk about their doomed future. But Janie herself doesn't talk to Cabel about what she is thinking, about what she really wants, their both guilty of that.

I feel the author had left herself the opportunity to write a third book, whether it was necessary... well you be the judge of that.

There is a FREE online story by Lisa McMann which is told from Cabel's POV. It's from Wake when he first discovers Janie's secret. Click here for Cabel's Story

Review

About A Dragon by G.A. Aiken   3.5 stars

About A Dragon is book 2 in the Dragon Kin series by G.A. Aiken.
This story revolves around Briec (the arrogant) and Talaith (the stubborn argumentative one.) who is a witch, well a dabbling witch, that is rescued by Briec, just as she is being hanged in the very beginning. Taking her away from her sad and horrible life with the intention to more or less bed her as he sees fit and then discard her once the romping is done and he gets bored of her. Talaith, being a strong independent heroine, will have none of this, which makes for some funny dialogue.

I liked everything about the story, the conflict, the sex, the arguments, the characters, the adventure, the interlinking with other characters to build on the next books. I just felt that it went a little longer than necessary.

Book 1 'Dragon Actually' was in fact two stories in one book. The characters from the first story features again in 'About A Dragon'. Fearghus and Annwyl, who are always amusing and shag as much as these two do, maybe even more. I am surprised any of these women can actually walk, let alone site down without wincing.. Anyway, I guess that's why they call it fiction.

I really like the story of Morfyd and Brastias, I hope there is more built on this romance in the next books..

I just wish they had better titles.. hmm, no judgement, only criticism!!