Month: January 2015 (Page 1 of 6)

BOOK REVIEW – Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1) by Melina Marchetta

January 31, 2015 / Anna

Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1)
by Melina Marchetta
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Finnikin of the Rock and his guardian, Sir Topher, have not been home to their beloved Lumatere for ten years. Not since the dark days when the royal family was murdered and the kingdom put under a terrible curse. But then Finnikin is summoned to meet Evanjalin, a young woman with an incredible claim: the heir to the throne of Lumatere, Prince Balthazar, is alive.

Evanjalin is determined to return home and she is the only one who can lead them to the heir. As they journey together, Finnikin is affected by her arrogance . . . and her hope. He begins to believe he will see his childhood friend, Prince Balthazar, again. And that their cursed people will be able to enter Lumatere and be reunited with those trapped inside. He even believes he will find his imprisoned father.

But Evanjalin is not what she seems. And the truth will test not only Finnikin's faith in her . . . but in himself.

4 stars – 4.5 stars – 5 stars? Oh, well, I don’t know people. Sorry.

Finnikin of the Rock is the story of people who try to step forward, and forward, and forward… Until perhaps, one day, perhaps they’ll share a land called home again.

“Speak, Finnikin wanted to shout at her. Lay blame. Shout. Rage. Rage!“

Ready to travel with me?

Finnikin of the Rock is a journey. The journey of Lumatere people who struggle to survive after their exile. I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect it to move me so much – and yeah, I realized pretty fast what a fool I’d been to underestimate Melina Marchetta’s ability to take my heart and squeeze it. Hard.

The fact is, I’m always fooled in the same way with this author : I’m travelling through her words, confident, conceited even, until I come across a sentence which breaks my heart. Repeatedly.

“Men who in Lumatere had voices loud and passionate, who provided for their families and were respected in their villages. Now they sat in silence and relied on their children to translate for them as if they were helpless babes. Finnikin wondered what it did to a man who once stood proud. How could he pass on his stories without a language?”

There’s a lot of talking in this book but it never bothered me. Why? Because as Sir Topher expresses it, stories and languages and well, talking are links we don’t want to destroy. They’re bonding, history, family.

People of Lumatere are going through all the trials refugee have to face. Yes that’s fantasy, yet their suffering sounds so real and reminds me so much of what happens near every one of our houses I got chills. Sadly, I don’t think there’s a country in the world which doesn’t have its refugee, somehow, and yeah, sure, we could argue that their country didn’t disappear magically like Lumatere – no, war and poverty and corruption and selfishness did it. I’m not sure it isn’t worst.

“You are evil,” he seeted.
“Oh, the way that word is thrown around!” she said. “Everything is evil that humans can’t control or conquer.”

In addition to the necessity to forget their own language, entire families find themselves scattered throughout the kingdoms closed to Lumatere after the disappearance of their home. Desperate. Abused. Threatened. Hopeless.

Cursed.

There’s so much to say about the plot and yet I’m feeling as I’ve already said too much. The only thing you need to know is this : following Finnikin, Evanjelin, Sir Topher and all the other *cough* Froi! *cough* has been a meaningful experience for me and I can only hope you’ll feel even a glimmer of the emotion I felt.

As per usual with Melina Marchetta, the characterization is flawless. Really, I’m in awe of this author for her ability to create characters so real. Far from perfect. Both loveable and detestable. Each and every one of them found the path to my heart, each in their own way. Although I can be annoyed by their doubts (yes Finnikin, I’m totally staring at you – but yes, I still love you), amused by their repartee, in love with their courage, frightened for them – and sometimes, by them, they can make me feel restless, proud, mad, confused –

If I you ask me to tell you one thing about them, it’d be that they never ever leave me indifferent.

Finally, what can I say about the writing apart from repeating how beautiful it is? I always trusted Melina Marchetta to create complex and so dynamic characters. Now I know she can also deliver full-detailed settings. Indeed her words resonate within us, mesmerizing, alternating between descriptions full of details and short sentences when the action requires it.

Well, I think that’s pretty clear that I loved this book, even if in some parts I felt a bit lost and wavering, especially in the third part which was a bit anticlimatic. But then, in my opinion no book is perfect, and I enjoyed so much this journey I can’t hold a grudge.

I’ll let you with this quote –

“Perhaps they would act as a deterrent. He could not believe anyone who heard such stories of wickedness would allow it to happen again.”

Oh dear Finnikin, if you knew…

BOOK REVIEW: Crushed (Redemption #2) by Lauren Layne

January 30, 2015 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Crushed (Redemption #2)
by Lauren Layne
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Lauren Layne’s latest novel about the healing power of redemption tells the story of a crush gone wickedly wrong, proving that what you want isn’t always what you need.

Growing up in New York, Michael St. Claire never expected to spend his twenties wearing cowboy boots. But that was before he learned about his real father, a total stranger with a family in Cedar Grove, Texas. Once in the Lone Star State, Michael meets Kristin Bellamy, who is exquisitely refined and everything Michael always thought he wanted in a woman. The only problem is that Kristin is dating Michael’s new half brother, Devon.

Kristin’s mouthy, curvy sister Chloe has always been in love with Devon Patterson. So when Michael offers to help Chloe break up Devon and Kristin, Chloe agrees to a deal that seems too good to be true. Before long, Chloe finally gets her man, only to make a startling discovery: She no longer wants the guy she had to fight for—she wants the one who stood by her side.

After all he and Chloe have been through, Michael swears he’s damaged goods. Can Chloe convince him that love is worth the risk?

♥ Buddy read with my wonderful Star-Crossed Ladies-Anna Banana and Jen ♥
**Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

*4.5 Stars*

It’s been six months since I betrayed my best friend.
Six months since I walked away from her. No. Since she walked away from me.
But more than that…more than any of that…
It’s been six months since I’ve bothered to care.
About anything.

Let me just come clean, as I do whenever I read one of this author’s books-I am in love with this author. She is my rainy day, bad mood, giggle-fest, any mood author. So, while I am actually a very fair rater and reviewer, I still have warm feelings towards every single one of her books, even the one that I didn’t rate a 5 *gasp*. I did have things I do wish would have been different-just minor, baby things. But nothing deterred my mood once. Not. Once. There wasn’t a moment I wasn’t on cloud nine as I read this story and no page was turned without me being all fangirly. So, yeah, that’s right-I’m a Lauren Layne fan girl-DEAL WITH IT. And proceed with caution.

“Beefcake!” Again with one of those dopey, guileless smiles.
She plops down at one of the few vacant spots at the bar, and unlike the usual solo girls that daintily perch themselves on the stools, there’s no glancing around to see who’s noticed her arrival. No careful positioning to ensure her posture’s just right to show off her best side. She’s just there…and happy.
So annoying.

It’s so hard for me to say or admit to a favorite Lauren Layne series as a whole, but I am going to have to level with you guys-This is probably the series I get the most excited about. It’s the series I go out of my way to stalk netgalley for and it’s the series that I have fallen the most deeply in love with. I just connected with it on a visceral level and it touched me so deeply. Each guy and each girl holds a special place in my heart for very different reasons, but it all comes down to this: Every single person in this series is a tortured soul…..and I must say, masochist that I am, it’s the reason I think I fell so hard for the Redemption series. Ethan, the guy who’s girl cheated on him with his best friend. Stephanie, the girl who was ALSO cheated on and helped Ethan realize he didn’t need to impress anyone but the girl he wants to spend his life with. And then Olivia. The cheater. The one that broke her long time relationship with THEIR best friend. The one who went to Maine to help atone for her sins with a scarred ex marine….PAUL. Omg I LOVE PAUL. The asshole marine who didn’t think anyone could love him because of his scars and surly, asshole attitude. He brought Olivia out of her deep depression, and she him, and they became happy again-TOGETHER. And then our dear, Michael. The. Best. Friend. The one who technically lost two loves-his best friend and the girl who he had been in love with, secretly, for ten years. These are our three main characters that had problems throughout the series…but this story is about the one who royally fucked up their little trio and set them all on a path out of their comfort zones.

“You’re an idiot,” I say gruffly. It’s not what I mean to say. I don’t know what I mean to say. I just can’t stand the thought of this cheerful, good person going through what I went through.
Instead of being offended, she laughs. “Good pep talk, Beefcake.”
She laughs again, and it’s genuine and bold, and suddenly it hits me: Chloe Bellamy deserves better. She deserves better than what I got.

I must say, I fell hard for Mr. Asshole With A Horrible ‘Tude. I didn’t know how I’d feel about him, really, but the minute he opened his not-so-talkative mouth, I was smiling ear to ear and knew he’d be a tough one to crack. Just like I like ’em. He’s had more problems than just cheating with his best friend’s girl. When family is involved, it’s even worse. So, to say he is tortured is mild. But then this totally snarky chick starts to call him out, pull him into an area of his life he’s not accustomed to, and he starts to come out of his shell….a little. He lusts after the stick figures with perfect hair and toned bods, but he starts to connect with the sister (of his client) who is curvaceous, loud, and has untamed hair. What starts out as an agreement to help her becomes an understanding, becomes a partnership, makes them become….friends. He can’t believe, after months of seclusion and brooding, that his one true friend is this girl who won’t ever shut up and who constantly gropes and teases him.

Well, would ya look at that? I didn’t even try to cop a feel.
Progress. Definitely progress.

Lauren Layne is officially a weekend-only author. Her books are too good to destroy during a work week and I really screwed up with this one. Every time I started to get truly immersed in my reading or get to a super juicy part, I would start to get dizzy because I was forcing myself to stay up late….it hinders my reading experience and I hate that I felt that way this time-SO NEVER AGAIN WILL THIS HAPPEN. But that just proves my point on how good this was-I still got through it and loved every little bit…albeit a little bit hazily and strained because I was literally about to pass out from exhaustion.

That’ll help distract me from the real reason I asked if he wanted to go to dinner.
Because he’d looked lonely.
Or the real real reason.
Because I’m lonely, too.

Here’s another reason I love the Redemption series: It has formulas, sure, but omg they are the most FANTASTIC formulas. They all have grand gestures (and she doesn’t try to hide that every one of the stories ends with a grand gesture-she embraces it and literally says it multiple times in the story-it’s brilliant!! And so so cute) and ways to get the girl back and I absolutely ADORE that aspect. And it’s INDIVIDUAL TO THIS SERIES. She doesn’t use the same theme in any of her other stories, at least not so openly, and I LOVE going big to get the girl. I cannot believe LL kept up this theme from book one until this fantastic finale to wrap up all of these wonderful characters’ lives. It was just all so perfect.

“Um, I’ve seen the way you talk about your car. I’d be too scared to eat snacks in there.”
“Snacks?”
“It’s a three-hour drive,” she says, jerking her thumb over her shoulder.
I glance back and see a cooler and a paper bag with Lay’s potato chips perched on top. I can just imagine what other junk-food monstrosities lay beneath.
“Three hours,” I repeat.
“Lots of time to get to know each other, Beefcake.”
“Nope.”
She grins and pats my leg. “Okay, no problem. How do you feel about Broadway tunes?”

And the thing is, LL doesn’t forget her roots. At one point, it literally quotes: “Yeah….She’s really lovely.”-which is an homage to book one Isn’t She Lovely.-it was said in the same dry way that Ethan said it in book one about Stephanie (The person above, coincidentally, was also talking about the firecracker, Stephanie) and it was just so funny and exactly as it should have been. It made me goon like a loser to see that idea resurface and it brought back so many wonderful memories-I fell in love with book one the minute I started it.

“Really.” My voice is sarcastic.
“Do you love her?”
If the room was quiet before, it goes downright soundless now. At least until Stephanie steps on a chip. “Shit. Damn it.” She crouches down to pick up the pieces. “Mikey, you got a vacuum?”
Olivia tries to hide a smile, and Ethan looks to the floor in exasperation. “Such a lady, this one.”
“Yeah. She’s really lovely,” Paul says, stepping out of the way when Stephanie bats at his leg to get the rest of the crumbs.

Is it weird that I not only got butterflies from the romance but also from this age-old, damaged bro-mance?? BECAUSE IT TOTALLY HAPPENED. Ethan and Michael…just omg it was too much. Odd of me, but true, nonetheless.

With Michael, it’s a little bit different. He’s a project invite, yes.
But he’s also the first of my projects that feels a little bit like…a friend.
Not that I’d ever tell him that. The guy’s about 84 percent scowl, and I think words like friendship would up that percentage to 90-something.

I did want a little more from the ending-that’s the only reason I took .5 away. I just wanted it to be a bigger deal than it was…but that wouldn’t have fit Michael and Chloe’s style, so ugh, anyway. And I also think this stems from me loving Broken (book two) so much. I couldn’t let it go, it was perfect and amazing and I was an utter addict for Broken.…And I’d even venture to say I loved Isn’t She Lovely about as highly as Broken, if not a little less-I dunno, it’s a beautiful Lauren Layne blur-but that doesn’t make this book any less great. I loved and obsessed over the moment I could get back to this story and I adored our brooding, mercurial Michael-I’d never discount my love for this book and this amazing series. But I did want to draw attention to the fact that the prior two were absolute favorites-maybe because they were my first two by this author and they hold a special place in my heart.

“Fine what?” He asks
“I mean fine, I’ll stick my tongue in Scott’s mouth and play with his hair while I let him pet my boob.”
I start to walk away, but Michael’s laugh stops me. Both because it’s a rare noise, and because I’m not sure what the funny part was.
“Chloe, I don’t know how you do it, but you just managed to take the sexy out of the idea of making out.”

So, wow, this is way too long…..but still not long enough. It’s so rare I enjoy a NA book this much. It just is. So when I pick up a book I know I’ll love, I guess I feel the need to express how much others could love it, as well. I won’t even get started on all the other books she’s written and the wonderful, successful, HOT AS SIN male leads that have me wishing I could make them real every day, but just know, she creates some of the most addicting characters ever. I am still tangled in all of their webs….I have been from the beginning. But this series holds a place deep in my heart, and I will likely re-read all three books over and over again until I have them all memorized. It’s a series about three best friends who found their way back to one another….it’s so poetic. And I wouldn’t have ended it any other way.

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers) & iBooks (click on titles) *Each book can be read as a standalone, but best enjoyed in order.*
Isn't She Lovely Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Broken Reviews: Chelsea	Crushed Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna

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EEEEP!!! I GOT THE ARC!!! WILL BE READING NEXT WEEK-NO MORE WAITING!!!! ♥ ♥

Aaaahhhhh…I need this…badly.

Can I have it?? Pleeassee?? Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease

FRIDAY STARS–Your Weekly Must Knows 01/30/15

January 30, 2015 / Jen / 0 Comments

Friday Stars

Click book covers for ordering.

Giveaways

Enter to win a signed hardcover of A COLD LEGACY and swag! US Only → Click Here

Just Finished and Loved

The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken – 5 Stars! When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control. Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. Laura’s Review

Dreamfever (Fever #4) by Karen Marie Moning – 5 Stars! Through all of the tears, sweaty palms, smiles and laughter, I finally transitioned from like to love. And now, I’m beyond terrified that I could lose that foothold in Shadowfever. But rest assured, the majority of this book was a lot of fun to read! Be prepared for a whole lot of craziness, gasping out loud, and being crushed into the ground while reading Dreamfever. Jen’s Review

Where She Went (If I Stay #2) by Gayle Forman – 5 Stars! The story continues. In If I Stay → In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, this will change the way you look at life, love, and family. Now a major motion picture starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia’s story will stay with you for a long, long time. Laura’s Review

Reading Next

Reflection Pond by Kacey Vanderkarr – Callie knows a lot more about pain than she does about family. She’s never belonged, at least, not until she falls through a portal into her true home. The beautiful faerie city of Eirensae doesn’t come free. Callie must find her amulet and bind herself to the city, and most importantly, avoid the Fallen fae who seek her life. Seems like a small price to pay for the family she’s always wanted. Then she meets cynical and gorgeous Rowan, who reads the darkness of her past in her eyes. He becomes Callie’s part-time protector and full-time pain in the ass. He has secrets of his own for Callie to unravel. What they don’t know is that the future of Eirensae lies with them, and the once peaceful city is about to become a battleground for power.

✩✮✩✮✩✮✩✮✩✮

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BOOK REVIEW: Firefight (Reckoners #2)

January 28, 2015 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Firefight (Reckoners #2)
by Brandon Sanderson
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
From the #1 "New York Times" bestselling author of Words of Radiance coauthor of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and creator of the internationally bestselling Mistborn Trilogy, Brandon Sanderson presents the second book in the Reckoners series: Firefight, the sequel to the #1 bestseller Steelheart.

They told David it was impossible--that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet, Steelheart--invincible, immortal, unconquerable--is dead. And he died by David's hand.

Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life more simple. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And there's no one in Newcago who can give him the answers he needs.

Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David's willing to risk it. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David's heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic--Firefight. And he's willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.

This time, when she’d pointed it at me, she’d flicked the safety on. If that wasn’t true love, I don’t know what was.

Oh sparks, that was good. Like….exceeding my expectations good. Second books in a series sometimes fall flat-no, scratch that-they almost always fall flat. It’s hard to make that huge connection between the first book we all fell in love with and then make it flow seamlessly to the big bang of a conclusion in book three. Or…well, er, I can’t confirm if this is a trilogy. A little help, guys? Anyway, my point, which I was getting to, is that it’s hard to make every little book live up to our massive expectations, especially a second book. I must say, though, that I am in love with this series, and getting a second look into the inner workings of David’s mind only made me love him more, and I can’t see how anyone didn’t fall for his quirkiness in this one.

She gave me a kind of apologetic grimace and shrugged.
“Well, trust me,” I said. “I’m more intense than I look. I’m intense like a lion is orange.”
“So, like…medium intense? Since a lion is kind of a tannish color?”

As with all second books, there are things for me to spoil from book one, so if you haven’t read the first and plan on doing so, proceed with caution. The Reckoners have taken out the high epic, Steelheart, and David’s thirst for revenge has been satisfied. But after achieving your greatest goal….then what?? Are you empty? Hollow? Do you have a direction to go now that you’ve invested your whole life into one thing that has finally been achieved?

The answer was beginning to settle on me like a dinosaur upon its nest. My life wasn’t just about one city, or one Epic, anymore. It was about a war. It was about finding a way to stop the Epics.
Permanently.

And see, this is why I am in love with David. He is literally just soooo…..optimistic. He may have avenged his father’s death, but he isn’t bloodthirsty for more. He doesn’t NEED to continue ridding the world of evil epics…he just does it now because he is part of the Reckoners and, of course, it helps to make the world a better place. But he is starting to doubt his whole life’s passion-what if, and this is a HUGE if, what if not all epics are bad? What if his father’s belief is finally coming to life? What if there are finally some good epics who can help stop those who are corrupt?

In the bank nearly eleven years ago, I’d cowered in fear when my father fought. He’d died.
Better to drown. I gathered up all of the emotions I felt at looking into the depths-the terror, the foreboding, the primal panic-and held them in hand. Then crushed them.

At the end of book one, the huge twist was that Megan was Firefight. Crazy. Amazing. SO unexpected. And so….not what he has been taught and learned through years of research. She had infiltrated the Reckoners, the very people designed to kill PEOPLE LIKE HER, and she hadn’t made a move on them. See, when she doesn’t use her powers, she doesn’t feel that itch to kill, to make people around her suffer, and it makes her seem like she could almost be normal-and I feel like this was such a large theme in this book-fighting to be the best you can be.

I knelt in the inferno of hell itself, the world dying around me, and knew I had failed.

Prof, as we learned at the end of book one, as well, is also an epic. He RARELY uses his powers because it takes him to a dark place and he becomes the evil he seeks to rid the world of. So, when David pleads that Megan, who has fled, is changing and not using her powers, Prof isn’t having it. After all, he’s an epic so only he knows what it’s like to have the darkness creep in and consume your soul. See the problem? One is hopeful, optimistic, believing there are still good epics in the world, while one ACTUALLY IS AN EPIC and thinks he knows the inevitability of being cursed by Calamity.

I settled down, sitting on the bed beside her. The tension in her voice, that look in her eyes. “Is it working?” I asked. “Do you feel like murdering people indiscriminately?”
“I always feel like murdering you. If only just a little.”

But by far my favorite thing about this series is, and I think Kat is FINALLY ON BOARD (toot toot), the relationSHIP between Megan and David. I was a mess. I was excited. I was girly and giggly and smiley as all get out…all because I adore them. I love seeing how David would defend her NO MATTER WHAT, even when the most horrific things are being said, even when everyone would turn on him in a second because of it, and even when he doubts her motives. GOD I fell so hard for him in this book. As if I needed another reason to love a series like this: Peril, action, friendship, missions, peril, love….Jesus I’m about to combust over here. But, through it all, here it is in a nutshell and why I FELL EVEN HARDER for them, Megan is completely and utterly into David. Oh yeah. It’s happened. She is officially a David fanboy, just like me-no matter how much she fights it.

She cocked her head. “Did you just invite me on a date…to spy on a deadly Epic planning to destroy the city?”
“Well, I don’t have a lot of experience with dating, but I’ve always heard you’re supposed to pick something you know the girl will enjoy…”
She smiled. “Well, let’s get to it then.”

So, to save you all more David-ness, I’ll say one last thing to wrap up my swirling emotions of fangirling-He’s like that person that is always smiling. The one you want to punch because literally nothing gets them down (okay, maybe I’M a bit evil). His happiness is infectious and his metaphors are adorable-he is always trying to do something more, and I think that’s why I love him-he literally NEVER gives up. That is all.

“We need to talk,” she said. “And you were ignoring me.”
“I wasn’t ignoring you. Things have just been very busy.”
“Busy looking at women’s backsides.”
“I wasn’t…Wait.” It hit me and I smiled. “You sound jealous!”
“Don’t be a buffoon.”
“No,” I said. “You were jealous.” I found I couldn’t stop grinning.
Megan seemed confused. “Normally, that’s not something people smile about.”
“It means you care,” I said.
“Oh please.”
Time to say something suave. Something romantic. My brain, which had been working a few steps behind all day, finally came to my rescue. “Don’t worry,” I said. “I’d rather ogle you any day.”
Wait.

I can’t say I love Brandon Sanderson yet, because I feel like a newbie who has only just begun to stick her toes in the water of experimentation, but I feel like he and I are about to become the best of friends. I ADORE this series. I ADORE the characters. I ADORE the situations he puts them through….I think I just wanted a little more. I wanted him to push the envelope on a couple things and he pulled back at the last second and that’s why I deducted half a star. The action was almost as perfect as the first, but didn’t quite get there, for me. So, while the romance was PERFECT in this one, I wanted him to rock out on the action…and it just was missing a little something. I cannot believe I have to wait until 2016…SPRING 2016…it might kill me. But maybe I’ll start filling my time with a little more Sanderson. Sounds like a plan to me.

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Buddy read with Kat!!!

BOOK REVIEW – Romancing The Duke (Castles Ever After #1) by Tessa Dare

January 27, 2015 / Anna

Romancing The Duke (Castles Ever After #1)
by Tessa Dare
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens. She never doubted romance would be in her future, too. The storybooks offered endless possibilities.

And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off. One by one by one.

Ugly duckling turned swan?
Abducted by handsome highwayman?
Rescued from drudgery by charming prince?

No, no, and… Heh.

Now Izzy’s given up yearning for romance. She’ll settle for a roof over her head. What fairy tales are left over for an impoverished twenty-six year-old woman who’s never even been kissed?

This one.

You know I’m not an historical romance girl. And yet, Color me surprised : That was all kind of adorable and I fell in love with this story.

Sometimes we love characters because they aren’t like us – see Penryn for example : did I need to remind you how much I wouldn’t survive in the world after? Nope, I don’t think so – and other times, we come across some personality traits which remind us so much of ourselves that we can’t help but relate to the character. That’s what happened to me with some sides of Izzie. Not everything, but enough.

– She’s spontaneous, that is to say, happens to say everything she has in mind when she’s stressed. Yeah, I know the feeling.

– She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it.

Personal story time! – you can skip it if you don’t care.
When I was a kid, sometimes I was grounded (I know, shocking). The fact is, I used to wait a bit (like, half an hour) and after this I always went to my dad to ask him if I could go out. Sometimes he said yes, other times he said no. Whatever. It depended on the stupidity I’d done, I guess. Well, all of that is this to say that I asked what I wanted, contrary to my sister who waited that my parents told her to go out.

Why am I telling this to you? To point out that I was a spoiled brat? Hmm… No. Maybe. I don’t know. Not the point. Actually I’m telling this because here’s what I learnt and remembered : In life, if you want something, you’re going to have to ask for it, because people aren’t going to guess for you.

And that’s what annoys me the most in heroines and makes me often want to shake them : that’s a rule I apply in my life, and it’s pretty simple : if you ask for the opposite of what you want, you’ll probably obtain… the opposite of what you want. If you don’t know what you want maybe you have to think about it before asking. And finally, if you want something, go for it and ask. Of course that’s not because you ask that you will obtain what you want, OF COURSE. But you’re increasing your chances here. That’s why I loved Izzie.

She knows what she wants and she isn’t afraid to fight to obtain it. In her straightforward way, she’s freaking courageous and her bluntness is incredibly enjoyable. She’s a woman, not a spoiled brat. Romanced since her childhood by her writer of a father, she doesn’t believe in fairies tales and her only and true goal is to be noticed. To be seen entirely. Even if she’s inexperienced as hell, she doesn’t shy away and just asks for what she wants. How exhilarating is that?

And we have Ransom. Ah, Ransom. What a perfect broody hero you are! Let me tell you : his inner monologues full of venom were hilarious – that’s simple, he’s always trying to get rid of someone, in one way or another. And wow, how badly he takes people intrusion! That was precious.

Like here

“How did one get rid of these girls? They were like fanned-away horseflies. They just kept coming back.“

Or here

“Certainly you can. It’s bad enough that they pester you with letters and questions. Draw a line, Goodnight. Go out there and tell them you’re a grown woman who can sling about the word ‘cock’ with the ease of a courtesan, and you don’t appreciate unannounced visits. Then invite them to sod off, the bunch of clanking idiots. If you won’t, I’ll do it.”

Moreover he’s protective and so. fucking. hot. And above all that, he’s a broken man who doesn’t believe in love and who’s incredibly afraid to open his mind and his heart to feelings – and yet he craves for them. Literally. Damn, that’s safe to say that he stole my heart completely : I loved everything : his grumpiness, his struggle to love, his hotness, and he earned his batch of Awwwwwwwww from me.

“What was he coming to, when a woman sat in his lap, he gave her a stern what-for… and then ten seconds later, oopsy-daisy and la-di-dah, he went and twirled a finger in her hair?
That was not ducal behavior. It certainly wasn’t normal behavior for him.”

Their banter was wonderful, full of repartee and yet never filled with disrespect. This brings me to the absolutely delicious conversations between Izzie and Ransom : man, that was hilarious. Between their comments and the awkward situations they’re put into (the Army guys. Precious. I’ll let you discover it), I couldn’t help but laugh out loud like a total fool. That was fucking great.

Moreover, the story takes place in a castle (which is awesome) but in a wrecked castle (which is even more awesome). Since his accident, Ransom never had the occasion – and never wanted – to make a home of this castle and guess what? A lot of things will change with Izzie’s arrival, much to Ransom’s despair!

Finally, as a not-so-fond-of-historical-romance girl, what I often despise when I read a book like this is the writing and the pacing. Truth being told, I end bored more often than most and have a hard time enjoying the My Lady and other Your Grace. Good news! Here’s I never felt overwhelmed by an heavy writing, that’s quite the opposite : I was captivated from the beginning to the end. Bravo!

I cheered at the end. I. CHEERED. I don’t know what else I can tell you to convince you.

Jen	Chelsea
Arielle	Cassie

Jen	Chelsea
Arielle	Cassie

BOOK REVIEW – Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1) by Melina Marchetta

Synopsis:

“Speak, Finnikin wanted to shout at her. Lay blame. Shout. Rage. Rage!“

“You are evil,” he seeted. “Oh, the way that word is thrown around!” she said. “Everything is evil that humans can’t control or conquer.”

“Perhaps they would act as a deterrent. He could not believe anyone who heard such stories of wickedness would allow it to happen again.”

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BOOK REVIEW: Crushed (Redemption #2) by Lauren Layne

Synopsis:

It’s been six months since I betrayed my best friend. Six months since I walked away from her. No. Since she walked away from me. But more than that…more than any of that… It’s been six months since I’ve bothered to care. About anything.

Well, would ya look at that? I didn’t even try to cop a feel. Progress. Definitely progress.

That’ll help distract me from the real reason I asked if he wanted to go to dinner. Because he’d looked lonely. Or the real real reason. Because I’m lonely, too.

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BOOK REVIEW: Firefight (Reckoners #2)

Synopsis:

This time, when she’d pointed it at me, she’d flicked the safety on. If that wasn’t true love, I don’t know what was.

She gave me a kind of apologetic grimace and shrugged. “Well, trust me,” I said. “I’m more intense than I look. I’m intense like a lion is orange.” “So, like…medium intense? Since a lion is kind of a tannish color?”

The answer was beginning to settle on me like a dinosaur upon its nest. My life wasn’t just about one city, or one Epic, anymore. It was about a war. It was about finding a way to stop the Epics. Permanently.

In the bank nearly eleven years ago, I’d cowered in fear when my father fought. He’d died. Better to drown. I gathered up all of the emotions I felt at looking into the depths-the terror, the foreboding, the primal panic-and held them in hand. Then crushed them.

I knelt in the inferno of hell itself, the world dying around me, and knew I had failed.

I settled down, sitting on the bed beside her. The tension in her voice, that look in her eyes. “Is it working?” I asked. “Do you feel like murdering people indiscriminately?” “I always feel like murdering you. If only just a little.”

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BOOK REVIEW – Romancing The Duke (Castles Ever After #1) by Tessa Dare

Synopsis:

“How did one get rid of these girls? They were like fanned-away horseflies. They just kept coming back.“

“What was he coming to, when a woman sat in his lap, he gave her a stern what-for… and then ten seconds later, oopsy-daisy and la-di-dah, he went and twirled a finger in her hair? That was not ducal behavior. It certainly wasn’t normal behavior for him.”

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“You are evil,” he seeted.
“Oh, the way that word is thrown around!” she said. “Everything is evil that humans can’t control or conquer.”

It’s been six months since I betrayed my best friend.
Six months since I walked away from her. No. Since she walked away from me.
But more than that…more than any of that…
It’s been six months since I’ve bothered to care.
About anything.

Well, would ya look at that? I didn’t even try to cop a feel.
Progress. Definitely progress.

That’ll help distract me from the real reason I asked if he wanted to go to dinner.
Because he’d looked lonely.
Or the real real reason.
Because I’m lonely, too.

She gave me a kind of apologetic grimace and shrugged.
“Well, trust me,” I said. “I’m more intense than I look. I’m intense like a lion is orange.”
“So, like…medium intense? Since a lion is kind of a tannish color?”

The answer was beginning to settle on me like a dinosaur upon its nest. My life wasn’t just about one city, or one Epic, anymore. It was about a war. It was about finding a way to stop the Epics.
Permanently.

In the bank nearly eleven years ago, I’d cowered in fear when my father fought. He’d died.
Better to drown. I gathered up all of the emotions I felt at looking into the depths-the terror, the foreboding, the primal panic-and held them in hand. Then crushed them.

I settled down, sitting on the bed beside her. The tension in her voice, that look in her eyes. “Is it working?” I asked. “Do you feel like murdering people indiscriminately?”
“I always feel like murdering you. If only just a little.”

“What was he coming to, when a woman sat in his lap, he gave her a stern what-for… and then ten seconds later, oopsy-daisy and la-di-dah, he went and twirled a finger in her hair?
That was not ducal behavior. It certainly wasn’t normal behavior for him.”